Snake in the Big City
by side-fish
Summary: After a plane crash and faking his own death. A python enters Zootopia with a new start and a new identity... (Disclaimer: Reptiles and amphibians exist in this universe, but not prevalent in Zootopia or nearby towns)
1. Chapter 1: Population One

A/N: My first story in a really long time. I have to say, I started this story prior the movie, but I had to wait until I watched movie because I made some assumptions to the characters and backstory. It also helps that I've read some other peoples work, which are amazing. Now that I've watched the movie, I can confidently publish my work. I noticed that a lot of NickXJudy fanfics here and I want to do something a bit different. There will be some of that for sure, but I don't want it to be the center of my story.

Disclaimer: This can be considered an AU since I did assume that reptiles and amphibians do exist. Just 0 count in Zootopia.

Summary: Leaving Zoo York, John has finally settled in the city of Zootopia. All is well until he gets a visit from an old friend. Judy and Nick investigate a theft.

Chapter 1: Population One

Ellie Taggert

32 W 42TH ST APT 7C

Zoo York, ZY 10040

Dear Ellie,

It's been so long since we've met. I wish I could explain my situation, but I really got into some serious trouble. I flew over somewhere I shouldn't have been. Now, they're after my head. I wish I could tell you, but it's top secret. I don't know when I'll be able to come home and I know this comes at such a bad time considering our hatchling. I wish I could tell you where I am or where I'm going, but I don't want you look for me. I can't risk your safety. I promise you, when all this is over, I will go back to you.

Yours truly,

John

John, a python from Zoo York, stared at the mailbox in front of him. He looked at his letter one last time. He resisted putting the letter in the mailbox. Once he did that, it would be the end of his current life and the beginning of a whole other. He had no choice though. He lifted the letter with his tail and carefully pushed it in the hole.

It was done.

"I'm sorry, Taggert." An animal from behind him replied. The animal, a pig, then handed out a package envelope. "You're new identity."

Taggert grabbed the package.

"Open it after." The animal added.

The two began leaving the scene going along the sidewalk.

"You should've done your job. I wasn't Special Missions, Hammy. I wish I hadn't flown that last mission. Me, my crew. I'm responsible for them." John replied.

"I get it. We screwed up. It's not easy to analyze data and make a threat level assessment. You can only do so much before you start making assumptions."

"You once said there was no room for assumptions in this line of work." John waited for a reply but was met with silence. The two continue walking. "So what now?"

"My only suggestion is you try to build your hobby on your new life. You know, I heard the best way of starting fresh is making your own bar. Get a bunch of henchmen, stuff like that." Hammy replied.

John looked at him with a strange look. "This is strange coming from you. A G-man."

"It's just advice. You don't need to look farther than Zootopia. Also, you'll need the protection. We'll keep tabs with you, but just to be sure. Of course, you can choose to not take my advice. It's all good."

"Okay. Noted." John was resigned.

"Remember the drill…"

* * *

 _I've gotten somebody to get a crew change for a weather plane. It will take off at 0900._

John approached his crew animals, three other members will be joining him for the ride: a red fox, a crocodile, and a deer. All four animals looked at each other and nodded in agreement with each other. Together, they were going to fly a recon propeller aircraft with a specialized weather radar equipment.

* * *

 _They were tasked to monitor an incoming storm._

"Take-off checklist complete, Captain." Robin declared. He then radioed the air traffic control. "This is Casper 1. Request take-off clearance. Runway 3."

There was a moment of silence. The fox stared at the window beside him noticing the other aircraft on taxi, a pair of fighters and some transport.

"Casper 1, Departure. Cleared for take-off. Runway 3."

John and Rob grabbed the throttle and prepared to accelerate toward the runway. When they were on the air and everything settled, John looked at his co-pilot. He looked rather stiff.

"Think of it as just a routine flight, Rob."

"Is it?" He had a worried look in his face. "You know what I'm thinking of right now?"

"What?" John asked.

"My kid."

"That was a long time ago." John said matter of factly. "He's probably not a kid anymore."

* * *

 _Proceed to your normal flight path until you're 10 nautical miles from the waypoint NVARO._

"Tom? Rusty? How are you guys holding up back there?" Rob radioed.

"We're fine. You could make the ride a little less bumpy." Tom, the deer, answered.

"Gentlemen, we're on a weather plane tracking a incoming storm. What were you guys expecting?" Rob looked at the radar image on one of his multi-flight displays. "It's a doozy, I can tell you that."

"Tell me about it. Got a lot of reds and oranges here. Heavy rainfall." Rusty the croc, added as he looked at the Doppler image displayed to them.

* * *

 _Once you get to that point, do what you have to do._

Zootopia Air Traffic Control

A weasel on duty that evening looked on the screens, watching air traffic movements of a specific zone. Half of his attention was focused with the conversation of two of his colleagues when he noticed something go off his screen.

"Guys, Casper 1 just disappeared on my airspace."

His two colleagues approached his station. "Must be radar interference. Clutter from the storm."

"Try contacting them." The other one replied.

"Casper 1, this is East Center. Readback current vectors."

* * *

" _Casper 1, do you read?_ "

On a cornfield in a rainy day, smoke billowed over the site of a wreckage. The rain did not stop the fire from raging, fed by the fuel in its stores. As it continued, four onlookers watch from just over a small hill.

"There's no turning back now. Gentlemen, it's been an honor serving with you." John replied as he looked at each and every one with high regard. "That said, I hope I never have to see your mug faces again."

They all gave a light chuckle at the remark considering the situation, John as well. He handed each of them an envelope. "Your new identities. There's also enough there to start a new life."

They looked at each other one last time. "I guess this is it." John said.

"Yep." Rob replied. He then made an about face and headed off the distance.

Rusty then about faced as he walked away.

"See ya later alligator."

"Very funny, Tom."

John and Tom simultaneously parted ways and that was it.

* * *

Immigration (Zootopia, Zootopia)

It was the python's turn to approach the immigration officer at the desk. To his surprise, the officer was a sloth of all animals. The animal looked at him with a friendly smile.

"Iden…ti…fica…tion?" The sloth asked.

The python smiled, handing over his passport.

The sloth opened the passport. He looked over the information. According to the passport, the serpent's name was John Stripes. Country of Residence: Kingdom of Whales. He looked at his face before looking back at his passport. So far, it was clean with the exception of the immigration stamp from the country of residence. He looked back to the serpent once more, to which he replied with an even wider smile.

The sloth grabbed the stamp and pushed it to his papers at excruciatingly unbearable speed.

Click!

* * *

5 years later…

 _It's been five years. Five years since I started this new life of mine. And I guess it's not so bad._

"… in other news. Today marks the 1st anniversary of the savage case, the most notorious case in recent memory. Then assistant mayor Bellwether was arrested for drugging the predator community with a Nighthowler serum. Though despite the proof and witnesses, the former assistant mayor's case has been delayed due to the political process as well as health issues from the assistant mayor. After several delays, ZNN has finally confirmed that the former assistant mayor's sentence will be read at the end of the month…"

A python was busy preparing coffee in the kitchen while he listened over the television. The kitchen wall was blocking the way however. Now that he thought about it, he never truly did watch a lot of television lately. Television was only to those who could afford to slow down. He could only afford listen now and then.

"John?" He heard someone knock on the door.

"It's open!" He yelled.

The door unlocked and a white wolf appeared from the living room. "You leave your door unlocked?"

"I was expecting you, Arty." John replied as he ground his coffee beans. He was not doing a good job.

"You need help with that?"

John, who managed to make a mess of his own kitchen, looked at the white wolf. He had that look and John resigned himself. "I have no idea what I'm doing."

* * *

 _Arthur or Arty as I'd like to call him, is an white wolf living in Tundra Town. I met him four years ago when I was interviewing him for a job at my bar. The wolf had a special set of skills, and as luck would have it… he makes great coffee._

"Appreciate it." John replied as he grabbed the mug with his tail and took a sip of the brew.

"No worries, boss." Arty sat on the couch and took a sip of coffee from an extra mug.

"Hey, no free samples."

"I got you that coffee, didn't I?" Arty gave a smug smile.

"You know what? Fine. Let's just watch while we finish this."

"Whatever you say, boss."

"… With us in the studio is police officer Judy Hopps from Precinct 1, the officer responsible for Bellwether's arrest. So tell us your thoughts on the sentencing to be done later.

Of course, but first, I would like to make a statement. Zootopia is city like no other, where predator and prey coexist, where anyone can be anything. If the skyscrapers and the mass transport system we have is the life and blood, the people who live in this proud city is its soul. For as long as I can remember, Zootopians created relationships through trust and respect, not on fear…"

Arty's phone suddenly rang. He swiped his phone to answer. "Arty." He answered casually.

John just continued to watch the television.

"What?" Arty exclaimed, now grabbing John's attention. "Okay, we'll be there." He then put down his phone. "It's Buster. Somethings happening down at the bar."

The two immediately left the apartment, but not before grabbing his black fedora hat and a black tie. John liked how it made him look like a mobster. They went for the underground subway just two blocks away. John couldn't help but notice the local café tuning in to the news they watched prior. He could still hear the voice of the bunny over the television.

"… This sentencing has been delayed for far too long. With the amount of time elapsed, we've acquired more evidence to put Ms. Bellwether behind bars for a long time."

* * *

"I see. And is there anything else you'd like to add, Ms. Hopps?" The female snow leopard asked as she looked at her interviewee.

"No, I have nothing further to say."

"Ms. Hopps, it's a pleasure having you as our guest."

Judy looked right past the news anchor to see Nick Wilde in his police uniform. He smiled and gave a thumbs up signaling to her that she was doing a good job.

With that Judy smiled a confident smile. "The pleasure is mine."

"Thank you. Up next on our coverage, the opening bell on the Zootopia Stock Exchange. The ZSE is poised to track the stock exchange in Zoo York. ZYSE futures are pointing to a rise in today's trading session…"

Judy Hopps drove her police car while his partner, Nick Wilde, sat on the passenger seat at the front. They had just left the TV station with smiles on their faces.

"You did great back there, Carrots."

"Thanks, Nick. Still, none of this would be possible if you hadn't helped me. You should've come with me on the set."

"Me? Nah. I'm camera shy." Nick replied back.

"Camera shy? Pfft. What kind of excuse is that?"

Nick thought about it. It was a rather silly excuse. Truth be told, he was okay if he got a chance to face a tv camera, he just doesn't like to take the initiative.

Almost as soon as they were talking about one topic, they've moved to another. "I'm moving out my old place." Judy said.

"That's new." Nick replied giving just the slightest hint of interest. "So, any ideas where you moving at now, Hopps?"

"Hopefully, a little deeper in Sahara Central, near the precinct."

"I hope it's bigger."

"Don't worry. I made sure of it. You're not trying to move in with me, are you?" Judy then gave the fox a suspicious yet suggestive tone.

The fox almost choked on his words at hearing those remarks. He tried to recover by going for the concerned friend approach. "I just think your old place really wasn't big enough. I mean it could be big for a mouse, but not yo- I mean bunnies."

Judy couldn't help but giggle at how his partner attempted to create an appropriate response.

"Hopps? Wilde?" Wilde picked up the squad car's radio and replied back. "What is it, Clawhauser?"

"Yeah. We got a 10-44. Report of theft at the Tundratown Limo Service."

Both their ears lowered knowing who owns the establishment. "We're on it."

Judy pressed on the accelerator as they sped through the streets. Nick flicked on switch that turned on the siren. "Might as well buy her daughter something. Mabye he'll be nice to us."

"You're not still intimidated by him, are you? We're on his good side, now." Judy reminded.

Their car strolled along an intersection and passed below an elevated railway.

* * *

 _Commute is easy. For the most part, it rarely ever gets crowded and the travel time is a relatively pleasant 30 minutes under. The rides are uneventful…_

"Mom, there's a giant talking stick!" A little bunny replied as she continued to poke on the python's leather scales.

"That's not a stick dear." The mother replied.

Arty, who was just beside the 'talking stick', tried to hold his laughter. "Seriously, how do you get by?"

 _Well… most of the time. Have to admit though, being the only snake in Zootopia-no… the only reptile in Zootopia, and I am sure I am the only one. Occasionally, I would get the odd look, but no one seems to mind, especially in a city of mammals._

"Just ignore it and it goes away."

" _Now arriving at Sahara Square. Passengers taking the Little Rodentia Loop or the Red line and the Bunnyburrow Loop or the Orange Line, please disembark_ …"

* * *

John and Arty were just on the block to a bar called the Bomb Shed. It was a small 1-storey establishment sandwiched between a flower shop and a hardware store. If anything, it was an odd place to put a bar in-between.

"What in the world?" John murmured as he saw two predators in the front. One was a polar bear trying to get in and the other was Buster, a gray wolf, making an attempt to resist the attacker. Unfortunately, the attack was able to push him aside.

Arty lunged forward at the polar bear to which the bear deflected the wolf's push with a swipe of his back paw. Arty tried to get up, to which he noticed the giant polar bear looking at him, now fuming for his assault. He was coming for him now.

But just as he was going to him for the finishing punch, the bear tripped himself. He fell, face planted on the floor. He tried to move, but realized his movements were becoming limited. He realized he was being entangled by the python.

"Don't try to move, it'll only make it worse." John replied as he mazed his way to his body.

The polar bear grunted. He was not done and made another attempt to break free.

"Boys, why don't we show how we calm down unexpected visitors."

The two wolves approached their employer, smiles creeping on their faces.

Buster had a black eye on his right and spat out on the floor, blood staining his spit. He cracked his knuckles. "With pleasure." Buster replied.

* * *

Nick and Judy parked the cop car in front of the limo-rental store. As they approached, they noticed a limo that was being towed back to the establishment. The windshield was shattered and the driver's door missing.

Nick and Judy now sat in front of a desk. Nick looked at his surroundings, seeing at at least 4 polar bears guarding the room. Judy was right though. Both of them were on Mr. Big's good side. And yet, he could not help but still feel a little bit nervous. He looked at Judy, who was busying herself taking down notes. He tried shuffling his feet to preoccupy himself.

"How long do we have to be here?"

"Relax, scaredy fox. He isn't even here yet."

"I'm not scared of him." He replied. He then lowered his voice. "Just these guys." Pointing to the polar bears surrounding them.

The door opened and out came a polar bear. On his paws was a comfy chair that rests the infamous Mr. Big.

"Well if it isn't my favorite bunny and fox duo. So glad of you to come." The shrew replied with his trademark accent.

"Yes. About that." Judy started as she closed her pad. "I understand you reported a theft, Mr. Big."

"Yes. That is correct. A stolen vehicle."

"But the stolen vehicle that you reported, we just saw it being recovered to your garage." Judy stated.

"Look officer, that car right there is the light of my life."

"I thought your daughter was the love of your life." The fox added.

"Look." He gave them a look that he meant business. "That car is the next closest thing to my heart after my daughter. And just like my daughter, if something happened to it, I would be devastated."

"With all due respect, Mr. Big, your insurance should cover-"

"Maybe we didn't understand each other, officer." The shrew rubbed his temples. "You're a family person, aren't you Ms. Hopps?"

The bunny nodded.

"The car is like family. We don't take it lightly when something happens to family. I want justice."

* * *

"Hold still." John replied as he swabbed an iodine solution over a few cuts on Buster's face. They were inside the kitchen nursing their wounds with the establishment's only first aid kit.

Buster squinted, but after the application, he just took a heavy breath. "Thanks guys. That was some timing."

"Yeah. Lucky you." John replied. "Care to tell us what happened?"

Buster looked up to him and it looked to him. Without letting go his gaze, he shifted his eyes toward the entrance of the basement. Arty looked at Buster who nodded.

No words were exchanged but everyone understood. He put down the iodine solution and headed toward the counter. There was a drawer that he had never opened since the day he bought the place. He opened the drawer and with his tail pulled out a small pistol. It was the same gun handed to him with his new identity. The same gun he thought he'd never use until today.

* * *

John slithered down the basement followed by two wolves. The two wolves held with them wooden bats. Arty looked at the way John held his weapon with his tail. He'd never seen the pistol before, but it was not the first time he'd seen his employer carrying guns. He wrapped around the handle with the tip at the trigger. It still amazed him. A snake with a firearm, he could never get over that. One time he asked John about it. When you only have one appendage, you make it count, he'd always say.

"Show yourself, stranger."

With their heightened hearing, the wolves were able to pinpoint the source of a sound out of place in the basement. Out of the stacks of alcoholic beverages is the sound of a slow and heavy breathing.

"Who are you, stranger?" John asked.

The stranger continued to catch his breath. His voice seemed to catch his attention. "I…" The stranger started. "I know… that voice."

The Buster found the lights and finally flicked the switch on.

 _And so in the city of mammals, perhaps there is room for just one small reptile. And perhaps, after five years, this lonely reptile may have found a place to settle in a city that's meant for mammals._

 _Until today of course._

The three animals exchanged stares at the stranger in front of them, a crocodile who was friend to no one except the serpent.

"It's good… to see you again… John." The crocodile replied.

 _Life is never dull, it seems. Every day is full of surprises_.

SNAKE IN THE BIG CITY


	2. Chapter 2: Two million or else

A/N: After a week, I'm finally ready to release Chapter 2. Thanks for everyone that's faved and followed so far. Usually, I just follow unfinished stories so faving someone unfinished work is like a vote of confidence, so thank you for the vote of confidence :). Some feedback would be nice though :P.

Just some changes. I've added a summary before chapters. I've also given chapter 1 a more appropriate title.

Summary: Mr. Big orchestrates a payback to the animal responsible for trashing his limo. John gets a visit from the police. Judy searches for a new apartment.

Chapter 2: Two million or else

"The car is like family. We don't take it lightly when something happens to family. I want justice."

There was an eerie silence between the three. Despite Nick and Judy being police officers, Mr. Big emitted an aura of strength and it made the two cops a little nervous.

"I suppose if there's nothing else…" Judy started as they both stood from their seats. "Thank you for having us. If there's anything that comes up with our

Suddenly, the main doors opened, revealing a beaten-up polar bear. The other polar bears inside the room were surprised that such an act would be done to one of their own.

"Is that Kevin?" Nick muttered.

The shrew had a worried expression all over his face. He signaled a polar bear to lift him to the injured bear. When he was near, he jumped to its belly and quickly went to his head.

"Oh Kevin. Who? Who would do such a thing to you?" The shrew asked.

The bruised bear twitched his mouth as if wanting to say something. The shrew approached his head and came in closer for him to speak.

The shrew's paws clenched tighter as the culprit was named to him.

"Johnny."

* * *

The Bomb Shed had to be closed the rest of the day after what had happened. As for their new guest, John thought it best to bring him to his apartment instead of leaving him at the hospital. After driving for under forty minutes, John and the wolves stopped in front of John's apartment disembarked from the company truck. The truck had a label of the Bomb Shed on its sides. They reach the back of the truck and opened the back, revealing the reptile.

Arty and Buster assisted in unloading the croc. They all made their way to John's apartment room after. Once they arrived, the wolves put the crocodile on the sofa to rest. They then tended to his injuries. When all was done and done, John told them to take the day off.

"You sure you don't want us to stay?" Arty asked.

"Nah, we're good. Just come by early tomorrow at the bar. We're gonna need to clean up."

"Sure thing, boss." Buster replied.

John said his thanks and led them outside. Once he closed the door, two were now alone in the hallway.

"So what do you want to do now? Arty asked.

"Buggy Burgers at Misty's?"

* * *

"Wake up, sleepyhead."

The crocodile woke up groggily from the sofa. "What time is it?"

The python went for the window pulled the curtains. "It's supper time."

The crocodile noticed a cardboard box on the short table beside him. "I made you noodles."

The crocodile raised a brow. "You cook?"

"Nah, I'm just messin' with ya'." John joked. "It's take-out. I got it from the noodle house just across the street."

The crocodile slowly sat upright and grabbed the box. With a pair of chopsticks on his claws, he began to munch on the food.

John slithered on the other end of the short table. He watched while the other devoured on the food. Noodles isn't much especially for a crocodile. Then again, crocodiles don't eat much. John waited until the croc finished his meal. When he was done, John was eager to start a conversation.

"What brings you here, Rusty." John finally spoke.

Rusty looked at him. "You don't look happy to see me?"

"Last I recall, we were supposed to split and never see each other again. Also, you made quite an entrance back there. That was my bar."

Rusty made a sheepish smile. "Whoops."

"Rusty, I don't think you coming here was a coincidence." John made deep sigh. "Also, that animal you started a fight with. He works with the most feared crime boss in the city. And I have to deal with that too."

John was not showing it but Rusty knew. He was very upset. "Look, I know you got your own thing going on here. And it's nice most of us is doing great." Rusty paused for a while until John encouraged him to continue. Well here goes. "John, I'm broke."

"Wait what?" John replied with shock. Rusty looked at him. His eyes were like saucers. John looked at him. "I don't understand. There was enough money there to start a new life."

"I made some bad choices, okay. I stayed in hotels, ate in restaurants. I had… lifestyle issues?"

"Why was the polar bear after you?" John asked.

"Well, I've been broke for a while now." Rusty started. "And there was this black limo just parked there. It looked like a pretty sweet ride so…"

"You stole it." John replied flatly.

"Well, I didn't get the chance to. He was on my tail. Long story short, I banged up the car really bad. I thought I could take him down, but I couldn't. I ran away until I manage to find myself in a bar. Trust me, I didn't even know it was yours. I didn't even know you live here." Rusty explained. "Look, I screwed up. Okay?"

John made a deep sigh. "I need a drink." He slithered his way to the kitchen to get a bottle.

"Hey, I'll have what you're having."

* * *

John woke up to the sound of an alarm clock. It was 6:30 a.m. He pressed the button to stop the alarm from continuing further. He made a long stretch of his tail and looked beside him. Apparently, a sofa isn't good enough for a crocodile, he said to himself as he looked at the crocodile sleeping beside him. John was lonely. He lived in the apartment alone. And loneliness can sometimes be a guy's worst enemy.

But this was ridiculous.

John wrapped himself with a scarf. Today was going to be really cold according to the weather report. He was thankful he was cold-blooded and that, at least for now, a scarf was more than sufficient.

"Heading out?" Rusty asked as he slightly moved on the bed.

"I have work today." John replied, his gaze never leaving the mirror.

"Oh."

"Hey, relax. I'll contact some friends. See what I can do to help you. I'm sure there's some spare dough at the bar." John hurriedly made for the door. "Now I'm not your nanny, but please. Stay out of trouble."

Just as he was about to leave, the crocodile called him. "Hey." The crocodile started. "Thanks for helping me out."

John smiled. "You'd do the same for me, right?"

"Course." The crocodile replied.

John closed the door and went his way.

* * *

John was minutes away from heading back to the bar. He was in no hurry today, so he took his time to walk himself there. He was just a turn to the street where his bar was located when he noticed the presence of a cop car parked in front of the bar.

"Oh deer."

* * *

"How long have you owned this establishment, Mr…?" Judy asked.

"Wrangler, John Wrangler. But you can just call me Johnny." The arctic wolf replied. "And I started this joint since four years ago."

"And you guys don't get a lot of guests?" Nick asked while he got a look from Judy. "I don't mean to rude, Johnny. I've lived in this city for most of my whole life and I've never step foot nor heard of this place."

"None taken. Our part of town is relatively unknown. Although, if you ask me, I think we need a name change."

Nick and Judy shared glances at each other before Judy faced the owner. "Sure, it's your bar, after all."

The main doors suddenly opened and a python entered the building. He immediately sat on one of the stools, a good two chairs away from the cops. "I'll have the usual please, my good animal."

The wolf nodded and gave a wink. The two cops look at the python with curious eyes. The snake, who was minding his own business, noticed the odd looks he was receiving. "You've seen a ghost, my friends?"

Both seemed trance for a moment before snapping out. Judy was the first to speak. "I'm sorry, it's just..." Judy tried to form her words as politely. "We don't get to see a lot of your… kind in these parts. I don't mean to offend."

The python smiled a little. "Well, that explains why I'm still single." he replied.

Nick snickered, getting a look from Judy. "What? It was funny."

"Good to see our men in uniform have a sense of humor." He replied with a smile, leaning closer as he continued his probing. "You guys are new or what?"

"I've been in the force for one year actually." Judy replied excitedly, a smile beaming across her face. "My partner's about 6 months."

"Just got regularized actually." Nick added.

"Precinct 3?"

"Precinct 1." They both replied.

"Oh. Guys from precinct 3 usually loiter these parts. Though what brings you here?"

"We heard there was an incident here." Nick answered.

"A scuffle?" John questioned.

"Yes. A witness saw a polar bear and two wolves fighting to be precise." Judy added looking at the wolf beyond the counter.

"He was disturbing the peace, officer. I'm sure it's not a crime to protect a fellow employee." The wolf explained as he handed the python his drink.

"Well, take it from me." Nick replied. "You just stirred up the hornet's nest."

"And so I've heard." The wolf replied

"If he troubles you again. You can give us a call." Judy handed over her calling card.

"I'll be in touch." The wolf replied. The two partners nodded and went their way out of the establishment.

"That went well." John replied. "Thanks for covering me, Arty."

"No problem, boss." Arty replied. "Although there's one thing that bothers me though. That witness the cops were talking about never mentioned you in the fight."

"Yes. That is strange." John replied as he took a sip of his 'drink'. "So… name change, huh."

His ears lowered. "Hehe… you heard that."

Outside the Bomb Shed and inside the cop car, Judy and Nick look over the building that they were previously in. Nick had a hint of doubt over his facial expression.

"Something wrong, Nick?" Judy asked.

"I don't know, Carrots. There's more to this snake guy than he's letting." Nick replied.

"What makes you say that?"

"Come on, Juds. Did you see the drink that that wolf character gave him?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, so?"

"I know liquors from the back of my tongue and I can tell you, Carrots. That beverage is 100% water."

Judy was impressed. She was thorough but Nick could see the most minute detail. His street cred had given him something close to a sixth sense. He could see behind an act. With her thoroughness and Nick's keen eye, they easily became one of the best duos in Precinct 1.

"Well whatever it is, we don't have a case." Judy replied. "I'm heading back to the station. Gonna clock out early."

"Gonna look for that new place?" Nick asked.

"Good guess." Judy replied.

"Then what are we waiting for, Carrots. Hit the pedal!"

* * *

1003 West Grove APT 2

Savanna Central, ZT 13504

Judy and Nick, no longer wearing their uniform, entered a medium-rise apartment building. They followed a female hippo to a room at the fifth floor.

"And here we are. Room 709. This has one bedroom and all the basic necessities." The hippo answered.

"Not bad, quite spacious, and the rent is low." Judy said with a smile. "I wonder why nobody's bought this place yet?" She approached the window to pull the curtains.

The two of them were shocked to see an elevated freeway in their view with loud the honking of cars below.

Judy looked at the hippo. "You never mentioned this on the phone."

* * *

322 27th ST APT C

Savanna Central, ZT 13502

Judy and Nick entered another a condominium. It was a few minutes walking from the previous apartment. This time, the condo was a high-rise within a complex. The complex belonged to a property developer. One of the real-estate agents, a gerbil, is accompanying them while they climb an elevator.

"As you can see we have 4 high-rise buildings in this complex. The first three are already complete. The fourth building is almost complete and the last two will begin groundbreaking this year. And this is only phase 1! Phase 2 will see the addition of two commercial complex that will house offices, a mall, open space recreational areas and even a small clinic, all designed for the occupants to get access to our world class amenities within the confines of our community."

"That sounds lovely. I'm looking for a finished 1-bedroom unit." Judy asked.

"Of course. Unfortunately, the lower floors are already taken." The gerbil replied. "Now do you wish to discuss the payment scheme?"

"We want to see the room first." Nick replied.

"Sure, but I just want to say that our payment schemes are rather generous. Twenty years. Anyway, in terms of location, we're a five minute walk to the subway and five minute drive to Zootopia General Hospital. We got it all!"

Ding!

"Ah, here we are. 27th floor." He replied as the door opened.

"Did you say… 27th floor?" Judy said, her voice trembled a bit.

"You're not afraid of heights, are you?" Nick asked.

"Of course not." She gulped.

"Here we are. Room 2707." The gerbil replied. "Do you mind?"

Nick looked down to see that the gerbil was handing over the key. Nick took it and unlocked the door.

There was a fairly decent sized living room. The kitchen and the dining were basically merged as with most condo development these days. There was a queen sized bed and a balcony at the side. Nick and the gerbil walked around the unit.

"Wow. I am impressed. You should totally take this Judy." Nick looked towards Judy, only to see her struggling with her steps. "You okay, Carrots?"

"I'm- I'm fine." Judy answered, her legs shivering.

"Is she okay?" The gerbil asked.

"She's a little afraid of heights." Nick replied.

"Am n-not!" She replied, her voice trembling.

"Relax, Carrots. I'm just kidding. Why don't you take a breath of fresh air. It'll do ya' good." Nick answered gesturing her to go to the balcony.

Judy nodded and proceeded to go to the balcony. Immediately, she regretted it. The moment she opened the balcony door, her ears dropped and the pupils in her eyes shrunk. The panoramic view, while breathtaking, could not compensate for the fact that she was really really high up.

Judy blinked her eyes shut. "Don't look down. Don't look down. Don't look down."

For some reason, she did not listen to her own advice and looked down anyway. Nick noticed Judy's face becoming blue as she immediately ran back inside, her mouth ready to release whatever she ate for lunch.

"Not the bed!" The gerbil replied.

But it was too late. Judy released all that she could on the bed sheet.

"That was graceful." Nick replied.

"Shut up." Judy mumbled on the bed.

Nick and Judy opted for a low-rise this time. Judy was still holding her head, still reeling from his previous visit.

"Wanna take a break? This isn't like you, you know." Nick asked.

"No. Let's just get this over with." Judy replied.

Nick looked at an exhausted Judy. It seemed that the visit in the second apartment did a number on her. Judy never did have issues with heights really. He recalled those two instances when they were working on the missing mammals case. The first was when they jumped of the skytram platform at the rainforest district. The second time was when they fell off that waterfall at that secret facility. Now that he thought of it, those were the only times they fell from a really high place.

* * *

1402 32nd ST

Savanna Central, ZT 13501

Nick and Judy opened the door to what appeared to be a boarding house. The hallway was dark, uninviting and unkempt. The place was littered for some reason. I should call the health inspector, Judy thought. But both of them shifted their attention from the litter all over the place to a huge pile that seemed to move in a breathing pattern. Both Judy's and Nick's eyes widened like saucers. Forget that, I should call the exterminator, she thought and closed the door.

* * *

It was just around four in the afternoon. Buster just parked the company truck in the back of the Bomb Shed. A new shipment of liquor was inside the truck and he had to transport the crates inside the building. He immediately put on earphones and plugged them to his phone. A little music always made work more enjoyable, especially manual labor. He may be bruised from yesterday's battle, but he could still perform his job.

He immediately loaded the items on the push cart, seemingly unaware of a figure behind approaching behind him. Just before he could place the last crate on the push cart, a strong blow struck his head, knocking him out before even hitting the ground.

* * *

" _Now arriving at Sahara Square_ …"

"Well, this is my stop. I'm sorry we didn't get to find you a new home, Carrots." Nick replied as he hopped out of the train.

"Thanks again, Nick." She said in disappointment.

"Hey, I'll help you out this weekend." Nick replied as the doors close. Nick looked at Judy, who was slowly moving away with the train on their way to the next station. Judy waved at him until the train finally left the station.

Judy eventually arrived to her small apartment unit. It had not changed much considering that she had been here for already a year. And with such a small space, it was hard to decorate anything. Maybe it was exciting at first, but one year had passed. She had eventually grown tired. Tired of the small space, tired of the thin walls, tired of the neighbors. She was friend to no one in the building. She was alone.

It was obvious to anyone that living here was quite miserable. She was looking for an excuse not to settle in. She looked at the window and found her excuse. There was still some light from the window even though it was getting dark.

"Perhaps there's still time to look for one more." And so, she closed her room door and left her apartment building once more to give it one last try.

* * *

"So I've been going around the block." Arty replied as he and John walked along the side walk. "Apparently, some security cameras caught our little fight, but the images were too grainy to make out the faces."

"And the witness?" John asked.

"Was the only one. No cars. Just a passerby. He didn't go along the street." Arty then handed his phone to John showing a picture. "But he briefly appeared on the intersection standing for a moment before making a u-turn."

John looked carefully at the photo. While the picture was clearer than the security cameras, it was still hard to make the faces of those inside.

"Look familiar?" Arty asked.

"Can't tell." John replied back. The bar was just a few meters distance now. They walk towards the garage where Buster was supposed to be unloading the liquor from the van.

But John and Arty were only met with silence. A worried look now on both their facial features. Arty immediately ran toward the bar in an attempt to look for his wolf colleague. John looked at the push cart and noticed a peculiar object.

"He's not here." Arty replied before noticing the item on John's tail. "Is that his phone?"

The python swiped the phone with his tail to messages. "I doubt these are his friends."

\ Messages \ Drafts

Skidrow Lane, Tundratown. 2 am. No cops…

* * *

274 Almond Road

Savanna Central, ZT 13503

Before Judy was one of the older buildings within Savanna Central, with the pleasant three-storey building designed with a brick-style theme to match with the neighborhood. Speaking of the neighborhood, the neighbors seem to look relatively friendly.

She was met with an adorable otter, just as sweet as the otter she helped in the Savage case. She was the landlord and she accompanied her to her unit just at the second floor.

"Savannah Central is a busy place, but we don't get a lot of traffic here." She stated with a certain sweetness. "Might I add, there are some pretty good places to eat here. All within walking distance." Judy must have thought that she used to be a sales lady because she was already charmed.

"This is your unit." The otter replied.

Once she opened the doors, Judy's jaw dropped. She wanted a bigger place, but this was big for its price. It wasn't as big as the condo they visited. It was roughly three-quarters its size, but it had a living room, a dining room, a kitchen (not merged as with most condo development these days), and a bedroom (with a queensize bed). It didn't have a balcony though.

"It's getting late, so I can introduce you to the neighbors tomo-"

"I'll take it."

* * *

Down at Skidrow Lane, John and Arty waited in the company truck beside a parking space (unmetered of course) waiting for the clock to strike to two.

"Where are they?" Arty questioned. They were supposed to be here right about now. There was barely seconds away from the long hand of a street clock pointing northward. But the moment the long hand turned, the two noticed a pair of headlights blinking three times consecutively within what looked like an alley. The python and the wolf looked at each other and nodded. They exited the truck and made their way to where the blinking headlights where.

As they approach nearer, the visibility became poorer. The alleyway was not a well-lit area. Arty had no problem dealing with the dimmed lighting due to a wolf's nocturnal abilities. Then the headlights flashed again, not blinking this time. Arty had to readjust as too much light was entering his eyes.

"Johnny boy. So glad you could come."

The glare from the headlights obscured the view of the animal, but only one person ever called John "Johnny boy".

"Mr. Big, you have something that belongs to me."

"Perhaps I should remind you that you're not here to make negotiations with me, Johnny boy." Mr. Big answered with his distinct mafia accent as he gestured a snap with his paws. "You see what you did to my guy." He pointed to the white polar bear's face. "You see what you did to that beautiful face of his."

"Serves him right." Arty remarked.

"I didn't ask for your opinion, flea bag."

"What did you just call me!" Arty yelled, a low growl now escaping Arty's throat.

"Calm down, Arty." John replied. "We didn't come here at two in the morning to trade barbs."

"Of course, I suppose you may have noticed that one of your… colleagues is missing. Perhaps we can do an exchange." The artic shrew replied.

"Exchange."

"Give me the perp that stole my car and I'll give you back your wolf friend."

"First of all, your car isn't stolen, it was almost stolen. And second, don't you have insurance for your car?"

"Of course, I do, Johnny, but when you ruined my limo and hurt poor Kevin here, let's just say it's peronal."

"I want to see proof that he's still alive." John replied.

And with a snap of his fingers, two polar bears went further inward the alley to the back of the van and revealed their prisoner. The polar bears carried him with an arm each. Buster had been beaten up even after the fact that he had taken a beating the prior day. He was barely conscious. One of the polar bears slapped him on the cheek slightly to keep him from falling asleep. The two polar bears lowered him, making him kneel as he looked at the two animals before him.

"Boss? Arty?"

"We'll get you out of here, Buster."

Before Buster could say anything more, he was pulled away back into the van.

"So here's how it's going to go." Mr. Big started. "Either you give me the perp or you give me two million. Either will do and you have to give it to me in one week or else."

"One week? Two million?" John asked. "You must be joking."

"Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, it's two in the morning. I'm not in the mood for jokes. Besides, I'm sure can do it if you put your mind into it."

A polar bear lifted Mr. Big up and carried him into the van. They all depart with the van, leaving John and Arty in the alley.

* * *

"He wants your head, Rusty." John replied. All three of them were sitting in the living room. "It's either your head or two million."

"We can do the two million." Rusty suggested.

"In one week!" Arty snarled.

"Arty, calm down."

"How!" The wolf screamed at the top of his lungs. "We were doing just fine and this croc shows up out of nowhere and messes with Mr. Big!"

"I didn't-" Rusty started, but words failed him. He thought about it. Arty was right. It was his fault. Trying to explain himself would just make him sound even worse. And so he said the only thing in his head he thought was decent. "I'm sorry."

"You don't know how much I want to rip you to shreds with my bare claws right now."

"Arthur, stop it!" John demanded. "It's 6 in the morning. Some of the neighbors could still be sleeping."

Arty stopped but he held a low growl. He wasn't calm yet.

"I need a walk." Arty grabbed his coat from the coat hanger and left, leaving John and Rusty alone in the living room.

"We'll figure this out." John replied.

"I really dropped the ball on this one."

"Yeah, you did. But we need to fix this. My employee's life is on the line."

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Now who could that be?" John asked as he approached the front door.

* * *

Judy had opted to rest in the new apartment. The bed was much more comfortable than her old one. That was for sure. When Judy woke up, she realized her uniform was still on her old apartment. How she did not want to go to work today and just sleep on this bed.

"Maybe, I can take a day-off. Chief wouldn't mind anyway."

The phone then rang. She picked up the phone and saw it was Nick. "Hello?"

"Carrots? You're not in the precinct yet. This is totally unlike you."

"I know. I left my uniform on the old apartment."

"Old… apartment?"

"Oh… oh right. I've got a new place to stay, Nick. Decided I could look for one more and I found one. It's spacious, the walls aren't thin and the neighborhood is quite peaceful. And it's all in Savanna Central"

"That's great. You want me to come over."

"Nick. You have work to do."

"Don't you, Carrots? Unless you're thinking of taking a day-off."

"Yes, Nick. I'm taking a day-off. You can come over later to help me move."

"Didn't know you had it in ya', ya' sly bunny."

"Dumb fox." The call ended and Judy put her phone in her pocket

The first morning rays finally reaching the room from its only bedroom window. It was time to get out of bed. She had a lot of work to do. Immediately, she made her way to the front door, only to see an otter blocking her way. It was the landlord.

"I see you're up." The otter replied with a smile.

"It's part of the job, ma'am. I am a police officer after all."

"I suppose you want to start the tour?"

"Well, I've got stuff to do actually. I still need to get my things moved here."

"This will only be just a sec." The otter replied. "Come now. I want you to meet the neighbors."

The otter then invited her to come to the room next door. She then made two knocks.

 _Now who could that be?_ Judy heard a voice coming from the inside. The door slowly opened. Judy's look at her neighbor wide-eyed. The features of genuine surprise appearing all over her face. For in front of her, was a familiar python, the same python from that bar in Sahara Square, who also looked just as dumbfounded as her.

"Judy, meet your next door neighbor, John Wrangler."

SNAKE IN THE BIG CITY

A/N: I'll be honest. When I posted chapter 1, chapter 2 was already finished. Unfortunately, chapter 3 is not yet complete and I'm going out of the country the following week. That said, I'm thinking of posting an intermediary chapter. It would be the continuation of the last part.


	3. Chapter 3: Shrewed!

A/N: It turns out, I wasn't even committed to an intermediary chapter. This is chapter 3. Unfortunately, I may not be on-time on my so far weekly update as I've said previously that I'll be out of country to watch the solar eclipse in Palembang on March 9.

Zootopia is finally out on the States. And I had this hunch that once it does go out, that 100% rotten tomatoes rating would start to go down. Guess I was right... sucks to be right.

This particular chapter I've customized to your suggestions. I hope it'll do :). I'm particularly happy with this chapter as I've put more stuff in-between changing scenes, which I hope will make it less confusing.

Lastly, I'm really amazed with the other authors. Sometimes, I don't know how they find time to update long stories and read other people's stories. Tell me your secrets please… Anyway, enjoy. Don't forget to leave a feedback :).

* * *

Summary: Judy and Nick have dinner in Judy's new home. Arty reveals he has a brother. John tries to find ways to get the two million.

Previously…

"So here's how it's going to go." Mr. Big started. "Either you give me the perp or you give me two million."

"We can do the two million." Rusty suggested.

"In one week?" Arty snarled.

In front of her, was a python, the same python from that bar in Sahara Square, who also looked just as surprised.

"Judy, I want you to meet you're new neighbor, John Wrangler."

Chapter 3: Shrewed!

Day 2

" _Good morning lemurs and goats! This is RadioZ 92.3. Now bringing the traffic update is our Sky cams team, guys?_ "

" _Good day Zootopians, and it's a good day indeed. Sun is shining and the skies are clear. Traffic on the other hand is becoming moderate to heavy in Savanna Central…_ "

* * *

"This is Officer Hopps!" Judy replied as she sped through the roads of Savanna Central, engines roaring, sirens blaring. "I am in pursuit!"

She was trailing a speeding yellow vehicle. The vehicle was clearly above the 40 mile per hour speed limit. The worst part is that this speed chase was happening not in a freeway, but in the busy city streets of Zootopia.

"You're cute when you're driving."

"Not now Nick. And what did I tell you about calling me cute."

"Wanna hear a joke?"

"I said not now Nick!"

"Alright. Calm yourself, Carrots. Sheesh." Nick adjusted his standard issue shades.

"All units, this is Clawhauser." Clawhauser radioed in. "Be advised, we got a 10-24…"

* * *

"… _Traffic near Center Park_."

The day had barely even started. Traffic had started piling up on Savanna Central. With the horns honking and the wolves howling, it was slowly becoming grid lock.

That wasn't the only commotion going on in the area though. On the other side of the block, a weasel was running for his life. He looked at behind him to see an arctic wolf running towards him.

"You'll never take me alive!" The weasel made his way toward Center Park.

* * *

"Ma'am, it was an honest mistake. I was getting late for work." Replied the gopher in the yellow car.

"Sir, you were speeding in the busy streets, which counts as reckless endangerment." Judy explained. "We usually take people in for this offense."

"Can't I just pay a fine?"

"Okay." Judy replied.

"Okay?" Nick asked.

"Great!" The gopher answered overjoyed.

"But…"

"But?" The gopher's asked, his smile slightly faded.

"I'm going to need you to participate in Road Safety workshop at the DMV."

"Flash can get you started." Nick replied, giving the gopher a DMV brochure which had Flash on the cover page. "We know him so we'll know if you're not in attendance."

The gopher sighed and nodded. "Okay. Beats going to jail I suppose."

Judy noted the plate number and told the gopher that the fine will arrive at the mail. The gopher apologized and promised to not do it again. Hopefully, Judy thought that was the truth. They leave the scene, maneuvering through the traffic. Already traffic enforcers have started popping out of the vicinity. Nick seemed to not mind the traffic. In fact, it was odd that he was just staring at her.

"Alright, Slick, lay it one me."

"Why did the sloth cross the road?" Nick asked.

"I don't know, Nick. Do tell." Judy replied, playing along.

"Oh I don't know, but it might be explaining this morning's traffic." Nick pointed to something in front of them.

Judy focused her eyes on something that seemed to be blocking the street. Judy couldn't believe her eyes. Apparently, a sloth was holding up traffic while it was trying to cross the road. Judy slapped her forehead with her paw and sighed deeply. She opened the door and got out of the car to offer her assistance to the sloth.

* * *

The weasel had trekked the park from end to end. He stopped once to catch his breath, only to that he was still being chased. He immediately walked across the street and entered a small alleyway. Unknown to him, a tail had sprouted out from behind the dumpster and tripped on of the weasel's legs, sending him falling face first to the hard floor. He was still on the floor when he heard the sound of familiar footsteps coming his way. The wolf was hot on his trail, but this time, he was not alone. Something else emerged from the side of the dumpster. A new pair of slit eyes staring at him.

 _AHHH!_

* * *

Traffic had seemed to finally flow once the sloth was out of the equation. Movement was still slow but it seemed the traffic situation was resolving itself. Judy concentrated on her driving, but instead, part of her attention was on Nick staring at her.

"What?"

"Wow." He started while he shook his head. "Quite frankly, I'm disappointed, Carrots."

"Did I miss anything?" Judy asked.

"Oh I don't know, it's just that I dropped by your 'old' place yesterday to see that you've already moved out."

"Oh right." Judy blushed. She had left Nick hanging. "I've been so busy. It just passed my mind. You didn't stay there the rest of the day, did you?"

"N-no." He said reactively. It was now Nick's turn to blush. Judy did not notice though.

"Anyway, I've already moved my stuff. It's not like I had much to begin with anyway. And it's like everything I said on the phone." Judy explained.

"That's good to know."

"There's just one thing though. You remember that bar we visited at Sahara Square?"

Nick's right brow inched up slightly. "Yeah?"

"You were right, Nick. There is something more to this snake character."

"What made you say that?"

"Apparently, his name is John Wrangler."

* * *

"AHHH!" the weasel screamed as he fell off a 10 storey tenement. Unfortunately for him, most buildings that surrounded him were of similar height. The alley where he was falling to his presumed death was being concealed by a building from the eyes of spectators on the sidewalks. All these thoughts couldn't get to his head fast enough as he was now just a storey away the inevitable splat. But just as he was nearing the end, his momentum slowed and his mass decelerated to a complete stop moments before impact. The weasel burst to tears realizing he was just this close to death. All of a sudden, he felt a tug that would pull himself back up.

"No! No! Not again!"

Just on the top floor, a python watched their captive, bounded and attached by a bungee cord, being raised as an artic wolf pushed a lever activating the pulley mechanism that would pull the weasel up. The artic wolf noticed his employer rubbing his temples.

"You okay, boss?" the artic wolf replied.

"Yeah." John replied initially. "Just trying to figure things out."

John had already told Arty about what happened the day prior. A police for a next door neighbor, he thought he'd never live to see the day. He is a believer of science. What are the odds? Science is failing him now.

"So I've been asking around the street about this Judy Hopps." Said the artic wolf.

"And…"

"She's a lot of trouble apparently. A real do-gooder. You know that savage case a year ago."

"Yeah, it was all over the news." John replied. "Gotta hand it to her though, she's one heck of a patriot."

Moments later, the pulley stopped pulling its load. Their weasel friend was finally hanging off the parapet of the roof deck. "Alright! Alright! I give up."

"Duke Weaselton." John greeted with a smile. "Thought we could give you a lift."

"Ha! Ha! Very funny Wrangles!"

"Dukey… we're sensible people. We're not like the banks. So we lend you money to help you out on your little business. Now we can understand if you need more time. But six months behind… that just takes the cake. You know banks charge penalties for that, right?" John explained.

"Alright!" Duke exclaimed. "I'll pay you the balance that I owe. Give me two days!"

"One day!"

"What!" The weasel protested. "Are you nuts? No way I can't get you the balance on one day ."

"You know that was a gracious fall Duke, but the execution was terrible. I'd give it a 5/10, but I wish I can give you higher. Arty, what do you say we give Mr. Weaselton one more chance to… improve his score?"

Duke's eyes widened. "Okay!" He said in a panicky voice. "Tomorrow!"

* * *

"So he lied to us. That sneaky snake."

"And that's not the weirdest part." Judy added. "I asked Clawhauser to do a background check on Wrangler."

"And… he found something?"

"Nothing. I mean I don't want to get ahead of myself, but he doesn't have a criminal record. He does sound like a local though for a guy who's lived in Whales all his life. He has been a resident for five years. I suppose it could've done a number on his accent."

A burst of laughter escaped Nick's lips. His laughter reverberated around the cop car. "What's so funny?" She asked with a slight annoyance.

"No no. It's just… what happened to going against prejudice? Don't get me wrong, Carrots. You said it yourself, we have no case against him. It's still his word against ours. The guy seems to have no criminal intent. We can't bring him in on just suspicion."

"I know which is why I need you to come with me later." She replied.

Nick gave her another curious look. "What's for later?"

She smiled. "Dinner."

* * *

John's place

A loot bag was dropped on the living room table. John curled up on the couch while Arty collapsed himself down on the sofa. Noon had struck and both were exhausted.

Rusty, who helped himself with some food on the fridge, came in the living room. "How much we got?"

"Twelve thousand bucks." John replied breathlessly. "And another five tomorrow."

"Great, that leaves us with just one million, nine hundred and eighty three thousand." Rusty replied.

"You know, I'm still mad at you." Arty replied while catching his breath.

"So Rusty… how are things going on your end?" John asked.

"I've been contacting some old friends. I'll let you know if we guys get a job with a score." Rusty replied as he left the living room.

Arty looked at John. "What's he talking about?" he asked.

"We're gonna rob a bank." Rusty he yelled from the kitchen.

"Don't talk too loud! Have you forgotten a cop lives next door!" John yelled.

Arty lay down on the sofa and stared at the ceiling. "Forgive me, Buster."

"Relax. It's a last resort measure. If all else fails." John replied, giving him a reassuring look. "We take care of our friends."

They both just stayed in their places as both were regaining their strength after going around the city. It was not until an hour later that John realized he forgot something.

"Oh pickles! I have to get dressed later." John replied.

"What's going on later?" Arty asked.

"Apparently, Mrs. Rhonson, the landlord, is organizing a welcoming party to our new neighbor." John replied, his tail pointing to Judy Hopp's unit. "It could be a good opportunity to probe them to know what kind of trouble we're expecting."

"Good luck with that."

"You're coming with me, Arty."

"Wait, why am I coming with you?"

"Because his partner is coming. I'm gonna need support. Also, Rusty is kinda wanted so he can't leave the room."

* * *

The sun had finally set on 274 Almond Road. The three storey residential had at least nine units: four on the third floor, four on the second, and one at the ground for the landlord. But not all the rooms were occupied. About five of the saleable units were occupied. Judy was the sixth. Not all residents were single. Aside from her python neighbor, there was a beaver family of four and a widowed moose just above on the third floor, a Hippo couple just on the back facing part of the residence on the same alignment as Wrangler's room with respect to the front elevation, and a businessbear beside the Hippo couple, but aligned on Judy's unit. And despite each unit having a dining room, the ground floor had a shared dining and living space for those festive occasions, welcoming a new neighbor being one of them.

Judy and Nick were in the thick of it all. The pair were seated in the middle portion of a long dining table. On her left, the rather grumpy grizzly bear always looking on his cellphone. On Nick's right, the beaver couple, their two children in the shared living area. On the opposite side of the table sat John and Arty at the middle, to John's right, the Hippo couple while the widowed moose was on Arty's left.

Sitting on the short side normal to the guests was Mrs. Rhonson the otter.

Everyone dressed for the occasion. It was nothing fancy, but a little more than casual. Nick wore something other than his green tropical shirt, a rare sight. Judy wore a simple white dress. The skirt covered her just below the knees. John wore a white collar with a black tie. Arty wore a gray vest over a white short-sleeved collared shirt. The only thing off about him was the trucker's cap. Judy and Nick exchanged serious glances toward John and Arty who returned the same suspicions with their own.

The food was above average, baked mac with a thick cover of melted cheese, a bowl of mixed vegetables, and some seafood for the predators. After a dinner and a few drinks, all that was just left was light and casual conversations. The hippo couple and the moose had decided to go back to their units early, especially when they heard the businessbear was going to talk about… business stuff. The businessbear was in the middle of explaining the difference between a bull and a bear, one sermon that everyone, other than the Judy or Nic,k seemed to know by heart by now after listening to it several dozen times in the past. Mrs. Rhonson had dosed off while the beaver couple wear passing the time with their phones. Arty looked at John, who was amused to see him silently mimic the bear's speech.

"So… really. There are only two kinds of animals in this world. Bears and bulls." Explained the business-minded grizzly bear named Mark Butterbear.

Judy listened on the conversation intently, hitting Nick on the side who seemed to have dozed off half-way from his speech.

"Oh you poor dear. Look at what you did, Mark. You bored our guests to death." Mrs. Rhonson replied.

"Yeah, really smooth, eh." Replied Mrs. Beaverly.

"Yeah, will ya' looky here. Looks like it's time for me and missis to head-off don'tyaknow. Gotta check on the kids if their tuckered up." Replied Mr. Beaverly. The two took off from their respective seats.

"It was nice to meet you two, dear." Replied Mrs. Beaverly to the rabbit and fox.

"Thank you, Mrs. Beaverly. It was nice to meet you and your husband." Judy replied.

As the two beavers shook the paws of the two before heading back upstairs, John couldn't help but smile. "Well Mark, looks like we've entered… bear territory."

"Yeah. Whatever. I suppose the Beaverlys are right. Time to get some shut-eye. Those stocks don't watch themselves, you know." Mark stood up and walked himself out of the dining.

It was now just the five of them, Mrs. Rhonson included.

Nick, who was composing himself after a short nap, looked casually at the the python and wolf on the other side of the table. "So… Johnny." Nick started offering his paw. "It's nice to finally meet you in person."

This time though, the real John held out his tail, albeit with caution. He forced a smile on his lips. He waited for the tip of his tail to meet Nick's paw before he could speak. "Likewise, Mr… Wilde."

"And I didn't get to catch your name, Mr.…" Nick asked John's wolf companion offering him the same paw.

The wolf looked at the python beside him, who responded with a defeatist nod. "Arthur. Arthur Fangmeyer."

 _Fangmeyer_? The two police officers almost thought in unison.

"Ahem." John coughed to get the attention of the Judy. "I bought you a welcoming gift, actually." John lifted a bottle of whisky.

Judy grabbed the bottle with her paw. "That's… very kind of you, Mr. Wrangler, but I'm not a heavy drinker actually, unless, of course, this is water." She then gave a wink at Nick who simply smiled back.

The two from the opposite side of the table understood. They knew. "Don't worry. It's a black label, Ms. Hopps. I must say though, I am impressed. Truly there should be more people like you in the ZPD, for someone with… a keen eye." John answered. "It feels good to know that… Zootopia's finest is just a walk around the corner." He replied with a forced smile.

"Say cheese!"

The four look at Mrs. Rhonson, who held a rather old-fashioned camera. A flash soon followed.

* * *

"This is bad." John replied. His face down and his voice muffled, covered by a sofa throw pillow. "We're shrewed. Pun intended."

"It could be worse." Rusty replied. He was standing between the kitchen and living room boundary

"They have my last name." Arty replied, who was seated on the couch.

"So?"

"My brother is a cop, Rusty." Arty replied. "They must be celebrating on the other room."

"Actually, they went out. Watching movies or something." John replied.

"You know, those two are pretty tight. It's almost like they're-"

"Couples?" John suggested. John caught how the bunny winked at his partner and he would bet Arty did so as well. The fox's reaction was more muted, but the smile was telling. And the eyes, he noticed the green irises of the fox's eyes. Something was so eerie about them, and he could not place his tail on it. John looked at the clock placed above the television.

It was getting late.

* * *

Day 3

Precinct 1 was receiving an unusually larger amount of criminals today. Most of those being received had minor charges, mostly traffic-related. And so, the precinct had a contest that was only known to the officers on duty. It's not easy, especially after yesterday's slow-moving traffic. There were still enough to go around and so the contest must go on and the most number apprehended by a team wins. Wins what? There was a spinning wheel stored in the bullpen. The wheel was equally divided, which each part a prize, usually just small ones. Who pays for the prize? The participants, of course. Each participating team would have to contribute money to a pot. And so, it was not even lunchtime that the count was starting to rise.

Nick and Judy would have participated in the game, but they had things to attend to. Their participation yesterday almost had them win first place, but were defeated by Francine and her partner. Never underestimate the elephant in the room.

On her computer, Judy typed the python's name in a national database. She then pressed enter.

"Okay, if our records here won't tell anything of Mr. Wrangler, I'm almost sure we could find it in a national database."

The results were completed and only two entries popped up, one of which was the ZPD file she asked from Clawhauser, which she had already organized.

"That's disappointing."

There was still a matter of the other entry. Judy moved her mouse to the second entry.

Zootopia Armed Services – RESTRICTED ACCESS

Her ears dropped in disappointment. She was puzzled though as to why the military has a file on John Wrangler. "I wonder how Nick's doing."

* * *

Officer Fangmeyer took the opportunity to take a lunch break at a diner nearby the precinct. He chose a heavier meal this time, grilled salmon with eggs sandwich. He often ate alone, but he wasn't exactly a lone wolf. But it would seem that he was going to have company today as he saw Nick slowly approach him.

"Mind if I join you?" Nick asked. He held with him a cup of coffee and a bug's life sandwich.

Fangmeyer just nodded and Nick took his seat.

"What is it, Wilde? Partner ditched you or something?"

"Oh, you know her. She's one not to take a break."

"She's gonna 'break' her little heart out sooner or later if she doesn't chill. Know what I mean?" he chuckled. "Don't tell me you two aren't getting along."

"We're getting along fine, actually." Nick replied rather calmly. "How about you? How are you and your brother?"

"What's this about, Wilde? Don't tell me my brother is in trouble again." Fangmeyer replied, barely looking away from his food.

"Not exactly. Though, do you know who he associates himself with?"

"No."

"How about a John Wrangler? Has he ever mentioned-"

"Never heard of him." Fangmeyer cut him off.

Nick just looked at him, his face never appearing to change. Clearly, he was not amused.

Fangmeyer finally looked away from his food and faced Nick eye to eye. "Look Nick, I don't know what you're implying, but my little brother isn't a criminal. Sure he may be a bad egg, but he's not a rotten tomato."

"Okay then." Nick replied. It would seem that the conversation had ended then and there, but Nick continued to stay in his seat, much to the annoyance of the arctic wolf.

"Look hotshot, I've been in the police business far longer than you have. So don't give me that accusatory look as if me or my brother are some criminals. All I know is that John is Arty's employer. That's all." He stood up and grabbed his sandwich. "Do yourself a favor, Wilde. Don't snoop around my personal business." He walked out of the diner, leaving Nick alone on the table.

* * *

John opened the basement door, opened the light, and proceeded to go to the storage room down stairs along with Rusty. They walk past a few shelves, which acted as a divider to what he was about to show the crocodile. They finally saw it. Concealed by the shelf was a mattress with a pillow and blanket on top, a radio on a worn-out coffee table and a small desk.

"Your new home." John stated.

He was, quite frankly, waiting for this day. He had woken up earlier today from the snores of his crocodilian bedside buddy. He endured half a week of insufferable snores and he was on the limit. Other than that, it was just too risky to keep him on his apartment, knowing that a cop lived next door. The risk was too high.

And so, it was decided that he be moved out immediately. He called Arty to bring his slightly worn out red compact. Bringing the company truck was just going to get too much attention. He and Arty then escorted Rusty to the vehicle, where he was to enter the car's trunk.

Rusty just stared at his new home.

"Yeah. It'll get better. I promise." For now, he had a meeting to attend on the floor just above them.

* * *

"Your monthly cashflows are simply too small, Mr. Wrangler." Their accountant, a lemming, replied. "Even if you were somehow to raise sales dramatically, you still won't be able to cover the needed expense in… what is it… four days?"

"Mr. Matini, what about real estate? How much can we expect from the sale…" John looked over to Arty, who was saddened that this decision was even being considered. "… the sale of this establishment?"

Mr. Matini opened his small case and took out some papers. "I've done the math. It… will be able to cover your expense, but market conditions aren't good as of the moment."

"What do you mean?" Arty asked.

"Even if a sale were to occur, it may not happen within the allotted time you request. And let's not forget about the documents that need to be notorized and signed. It's not even a 50-50 chance that you could seal on such short notice."

"Unless we negotiate with the buyer to preload the cash?" John suggested.

"Yes. But that's usually when it's a good buy. The neighborhood is low traffic and the area prohibits the construction of a high rise under a low-rise commercial zone. You're certainly not gonna attract businesses or property developers just because of your location. And small time buyers will most definitely prefer staggered payments." The lemming replied.

"I see." John was deep in thought. It would seem that selling his company wasn't even an option. "Thank you, for your time Mr. Matini."

"Here's my card. Just in-case you need anything. I'll leave these documents here. Just get a magnifying glass or something." The lemming handed over his card. Mr. Martini of the Lemming Brothers Group, it wrote. "I'll keep in touch."

* * *

John was limping slowly back down stairs. It would seem that it was game over. Of course, he could just not pay the arctic shrew, but that would be blood on his tail. Even if it was drawn by someone else's paw, the final call would still be on him. It's not like he tried. Looking at all the available options, there was only one viable option left. John approached Rusty's living space, who somehow managed to make a miserable space look homie. He had already rearranged his allotted space to look like a modest office. It had a table, the radio given to him sitting on top. He somehow managed to find an executive chair and didn't he dispose that sofa? But it was there.

"With the way you're crawlin', I take it things didn't go well." Rusty said.

John sat on the sofa, he took a bottle of beer out of the extra beer casings still lying around the place. "I don't know, Rusty. It's a whole new world we're fighting in. I'm not sure I fit in anymore." He took a sip from the bottle held by his tail. "Anything from your contacts?"

Rusty smiled. And it was an optimistic, yet greedy-looking smile. "Taggert, you just read my mind."

Taggert. He hadn't been called that for the longest time.

Rusty held an unmarked folder and threw it on the table. John opened the folder and browsed its contents. Files, photos, etc.

"So…" John whispered. He was still hesitant, still reviewing the options in his head, but it seemed like this was the best option. After all, if Rusty got them into this mess, it was only right he got them out of it.

"It looks like… we're gonna rob a bank."

SNAKE IN THE BIG CITY


	4. Chapter 4: Heist (Part 1)

A/N: So I went on a trip… and the eclipse didn't turn out as expected. It got cloudy just moments before totality. That suck, but not totally… but now I'm a bit behind this story. This chapter was meant to be just one part but I realize that while I was typing, the chapter might become 9K words and it occurred to me that this was going to be a long chapter. I was gonna do it to, but I would be reaching two weeks since my last update, which I don't want to happen. Not updating leads to complacency. This chapter, a two-parter, which I hope to compress in just two chapters will be the most complex chapter I've written ever in ffnet. Hopefully, it should satisfy. I'd like to keep the readers from guessing as to how it's pulled off.

Just some disclaimers: This is after all a work of fiction, so if there are some things that you feel don't reflect the real world such as laws, law enforcement, medical procedure, etc. Please be reminded that this isn't meant to copy our world, but it should have some resemblance. That said, I'm open to changes if I can add it.

Anyway, enjoy. As always, feedback is appreciated :)

* * *

Summary: Judy and Nick pursue a getaway van. John recruits Duke Weaselton. Officer Delgato confronts his brother.

Previously…

"Either you give me the perp or you give me two million."

"What's this about, Wilde? Don't tell me my brother is in trouble again"

"I'm sure can do it if you put your mind into it."

Chapter 4: Heist (Part 1)

Day 7: Heist day

" _Attention all units! We have a 10-52! I repeat! 10-52! Bank robbery in progress._ "

A getaway van was speeding across the city streets of Zootopia. Already, first responders have begun heading towards its last known location. Some portions of the city, the police have begun installing traps. If the vehicle was still within their entrapment area, it would be a difficult. Unfortunately, the van found its way in a road still not bounded by the police. Now it was on the way to the city docks.

But as luck would have it, there was one police unit still on its tail. Two officers from precinct one's very own rabbit-fox duo.

"This is Officer Nick Wilde. Suspect is turning right to Orchard Lane." Nick radioed. He wore his shades with that trademark look while Judy Hopps is in the wheel trailing behind the suspect vehicle.

"I'm gonna try and speed up. See if I can get a good look of the driver."

Judy hit the pedal and their police cruiser slowly accelerated forward. The driver of the suspect vehicle seemed to notice this and immediately swerved the van behind the cop car just so that it would not flank the van. Judy made her best effort to flank the vehicle to no avail. The cruiser could only stay just behind the vehicle. Judy smiled though. Whoever the thieves were, seemed to forget to remove the plate number.

"Nick! Run the plate number!"

There was a computer console in between air conditioning and radio panel located in front of the car between the driver and passenger seat. Nick immediately typed in the alphanumeric characters on the keyboard. He pressed enter and waited for the results.

Finally, the console displayed the results, including the registrant, date of registry, and other personal information.

"Wait a minute? Is this right?" Nick asked in confusion.

"What?" Judy briefly took a look at the console.

It was a grave mistake.

The van drifted to the left at high speed at an intersection, which turned out to be a T-junction. Judy barely had time to react before she realized her mistake.

"Carrots! Watch out!"

Judy tried her best to turn to the left, but it was too little too late.

BANG!

The cruiser slid uncontrollably toward a wall and collided on its right side, shattering the glass on the right. The van steadily escaped toward the pier while the siren of the cruiser continued on in the night sky.

" _Wilde. Can you give us a sitrep on the suspect's whereabouts?_ "

A pair of shades flew out the cracked window of the car and landed on the sidewalk. The right lense was cracked with a spatter of blood.

" _Nick. You copy?_ "

* * *

Day 4

Somewhere in Sahara Square, Duke Weaselton was pacing along a sidewalk. He looked back over the crowd of animals. He could have sworn he was being followed, but it seemed that it was his imagination. He slowed his pace and eventually stopped to catch his breath. He took a moment to fix himself over a small shop with a glass window in the front. He used the reflection to fix himself, but stopped what he was doing when he noticed something else in the reflection. An arctic wolf was staring at him from across the street. Duke slowly walked in a normal pace. He looked at the glass reflection of the small stores. To his dismay, the reflection of the arctic wolf was moving with him. He was being followed. He gulped and slowly increased the pace.

He eventually found himself turning into an alleyway.

Wrong move.

The alleyway he turned to was a dead end and before he knew it, the wolf was blocking the only exit.

Duke Weaselton made himself as small as possible he slowly crawled and quietly snuck into a dumpster. Inside, he tried to be as still and as quiet as possible. He could hear the footsteps becoming louder and louder.

 _Please don't find me. Please don't find me._ He said to himself repeatedly hoping that he would go away. Unfortunately for him, he was already found and he did not even know it until he realized he was not alone in the dumpster.

"Well… Well… Well… if it isn't the Duke of Weaselton."

The weasel looked at the direction of the voice. All he could see was a pair of slit eyes.

The weasel jumped out of the dumpster, only to be caught by the arctic wolf. "Pop goes the weasel." Arty replied.

John immediately emerged from the dumpster. "How long have you been staying there?" Arty asked.

"[Cough] Don't ask." John replied

"Let me go! Let me go! My day isn't even over. I already have the money!" Duke screamed.

"Duke-" John started, but was interrupted by the panicking weasel.

"Please! Johnny! I got the money! I got the money!" The weasel was hysterical. "Just please don't let me jump off another building!"

"Duke!" He finally yelled, which seemed to work. The weasel finally stopped panicking but was still shaky.

"Relax Duke." The serpent slowly got out of the dumpster and approached the trapped weasel. "I just came here to… renegotiate our deal."

"Rene…gotiate?" The weasel asked.

"Yeah. You know that five gran that you still owe?"

"Was it five gran?"

"Don't tell me you've forgotten? Unless you want me to help refresh your memory."

Weaselton knew what that meant. He did not want to jump off a building again.

"Of course… it was five gran." Duke smiled nervously.

"Duke, here's the way I see it. I'm gonna offer you a deal you can't refuse. Either you pay me five gran…"

"Or…" Duke continued.

"You don't." John finished.

Duke's interest was piqued. He did have the money to pay, but he needed that money for other things right now.

"Just do a few errands for me." John continued.

He could definitely do a few errands. He calmed down and mustered up a confident smile that still looked a bit nervous. This was definitely an offer he could not refuse.

"I'm listening…"

* * *

At the Bomb Shed

And he did. Duke was asked to obtain construction plans from the building official in city hall. These items, while not exactly off-limits, were quite hard to get. Just like any bureaucracy, it required paperwork. You need not look farther than the DMV to look for an example. But Duke, as much of a small-time he was, he still had friends. And he had a friend in city hall.

Duke sat quietly at the basement storage along with the three other animals as they eventually decided to let the weasel in on their plan.

"This is the Bank of Zootopia building. The building is wholly owned by… well the Bank of Zootopia. This means there are no other tenants in the building aside from a couple of food joints located at the ground and second floor." Rusty explained as he removed the acetate paper from the overhead projector and replaced it with another acetate paper.

"Some general information we need to know here. The building was designed by Skunkmore, Ottersons and Mongoosta and was constructed less than twenty years ago. With roughly twenty stories, the building's intended purpose was mainly for office use with a floor dead load of 4.8 kPa and a live load of 4.8 kPa per floor with the exception of the roof deck."

Arty raised his right paw, to which Rusty acknowledges. "Not that I mean to… disagree or maybe I do, but why is this relevant?"

"Because office space loadings suggest that the office wasn't designed to carry heavy loads. Say example, a vault." John replied.

"Thank you, John. A vault with a slab thickness of 1 meter would require a minimum dead load of 23.6 kPa. And that's just the floor." Rusty explained.

"So if the vault isn't in the upper floors…" Arty replied. "Then that means the safe is underground."

Rusty pointed to Arty with a satisfied grin. "You're a quick learner, Arty. I can see why John hired you." Rusty could have sworn Arty grinned at the complement. It was good that he was finally warming up. He continued on as he showed the floor plans already printed in the acetate paper. "This is the second basement plan. If you notice on the top side of the illustration is a thick walled room."

"The vault." John answered.

"Exactly. Also one meter thick in all sides with two layers of rebar spacing of diameter 12 at 300."

"That's gonna be hard to break. We only have three days, assuming we're gonna dig a hole." John argued. "What's the security detail?"

"Well, there's only one way inside and outside the vault. In the event of a breach, they can lock down the area immediately." He then used a pointing stick to identify six points in the corridor. "There are six cameras here, here, here, here, here and here. The command center is on the second floor. The corridor is guarded by four security personnel at all times. Rotations every two hours."

"Weapon of choice?" John asked.

"Tranq darts. But they do have an armory, so there is that."

"What about ventilation? Can we get in through there."

"We could." Rusty nodded. "But the only way I can see us getting through is the roof." Rusty removed the plans of the second basement and replaced it with the roof deck on the overhead projector. "The roof has four large air conditioning units that we can enter."

"Is that a helipad?" John asked, his tail directed at a space adjacent the vents.

"Yes." Rusty answered.

"Hmmm…" John hummed, deep in thought.

"How do you know all this stuff anyway, Rusty? I'll be honest. I didn't expect this from a guy like you." Arty asked. He was honestly quite surprised that the croc was showing much more diligence than he was letting.

"Before Rusty was Special Missions, he was a combat engineer at the Engineering Support Battalion." John looked toward Rusty. "3rd Mechanized, if memory serves."

A buzzing and ringing sound was heard around the room. Arty checked his phone and noticed it was ringing. "Holy cow! I gotta take this. It's my brother." Arty stood up from his chair and hurriedly made his way to the stairs. "Don't wait up for me. Just keep going." He said to the remaining three.

"So Johnny, am I supposed to be here or can I go?"

The python and the crocodile looked at the weasel, whom they seemed to have forgotten was in the room the entire time.

"Not yet." John replied. "I still have a few errands for you. As you may have noticed, we're a little short-pawed."

"So?"

"You know anyone we can hire for a job?" John asked.

The weasel seemed to understand now. "I'll ask around."

"Make sure you get someone by tomorrow." John replied.

The weasel was about to protest, but kept it to himself. Yesterday was reminder enough of what would happen even with the slightest disobedience. "Okay."

"Don't try to run away, now. We'll find you… eventually."

The weasel gulped. He hurriedly found his way to the door closed and he was gone.

The weasel left the front entrance, unaware that a certain familiar red fox had his eyes on him.

* * *

Day 7

Judy was slowly coming to. Her vision was still blurred. She tried to remember what had happened, but she could not bring her mind to it. Eventually, her vision slowly cleared as she tried to process what was going on, the cracked windshield, the somewhat crushed side of the car. There was a ringing in her ears. She held her head, trying to stop the ringing.

" _Hopps! Wilde! Please respond._ "

She heard a familiar voice and quickly realized it was coming from the radio. She made great efforts to reach the radio in the mangled remains of their vehicle.

"Clawhauser?" She replied weakly.

" _Judy! Where are you! Are you okay!_ "

"We… we… Suspect got away. Send… send medical. Orchard Lane, by the T-junction."

" _Okay. Just hang in there._ "

She smiled weakly. Help was coming. Somebody was going to rescue her and Nick.

Then she came to the realization. Nick! She had lost herself in the situation, she had forgotten to check on her partner. She slowly looked on the right, hoping to see that he was alright. She could see a faint figure. Her vision was still not clear, but it resembled that of a fox.

"Nick?" She asked softly. "Are you okay?"

She did not get a response. She unbuckled her seatbelt and tried her best to get closer to him. Nick was unconscious. His eyes were closed and his head leaned slightly forward facing down concealing a part of his face. Judy grabbed her paw and tried to feel a pulse. To her relief, she felt a pulse.

"Nick. They're coming. Help is coming." She struggled to say those words

She got no reaction from Nick. Something was wrong. She went closer to Nick to see if he sustained other injuries. When she got a closer look, her worst fears were realized. Nick had sustained a head injury on the right side of his forehead. It was swollen and bleeding. She did not know how long she was out, but she noticed a pool of blood forming under his right foot dripping from his head to the partially cracked right window.

Judy reached for the radio and contacted the station. "Clawhauser?"

" _Come in, Hopps."_

"It's Nick. He's… He's hurt pretty bad."

" _Just hang in there Judy. Medical is on the way._ "

Judy could hear the faint sounds of an ambulance siren getting louder and louder. Eventually, Judy slacked herself. She'd used up all her energy and passed out.

"Hopps? Hopps? Judy!"

* * *

Judy was now in a stretcher being rushed to the emergency room. For a brief moment, she became barely conscious. She tried to see who was pushing her and noticed a few of the medical staff rushing her. It was not long before she realized that there was another stretcher accompanying her. On the other stretcher was a fox, her partner. His head soaked in his own blood, although wound had been bandaged up, while a respirator was attached to his muzzle. The doctors and staff then pushed his stretcher to the right to a different corridor.

"Nick." She calls weakly.

"Relax, Hopps. Don't worry about him. Worry about yourself."

Judy looked up to another figure accompanying her. It was Chief Bogo.

"Nick is banged up pretty good, Hopps, but he's got the best care the city can provide."

One of the staff then stops the cape buffalo. "I'm sorry, sir. Personnel only beyond this point."

Judy looked at the chief, who was getting farther and farther as she was pushed deeper into the corridor. She could see Chief Bogo use the radio making orders. Something about finding who was responsible for this.

"Chief." She called out before the doctors opened another set of double doors, which closed once they went inside.

* * *

Day 4

Arty went outside and immediately answered the call from his brother. "Hey Mark! How's it goin-"

" _Arthur, I had a chat with one of my fellow officers yesterday. He seems to know you very well and is very suspicious too. You in any kind of trouble? That snake giving you a hard time? Cuz I'm gonna have a friendly chat with him and my fists._ "

"What? No! The boss and I aren't up to anything." He gulped, knowing that he'd already lied to his brother.

" _Arthur, if I find out you're lying to me, I won't be able to help you. What will mom think-_ "

"Okay! Okay! Mark, just calm down." Arty replied trying his hardest what to say next. "John isn't up to anything other than his usual, which you already know isn't a lot." His brother on the other end still did not sound convinced. "Look, let's just look at the facts, okay. John doesn't have a criminal record."

" _But you do, Art! I still remember the last time my little brother went in the slammer. Officer Trunkaby dragged you to the cell for petty theft. Do you know how embarrassed I was! My brother, a criminal! Not even a big-time criminal. When are you gonna turn your life around, Art!_ "

"Easy for you to say, Officer Do gooder good for nothing brother!" Arty remembered that day. He was tranq darted by an elephant for stealing someone else's lunch. A sandwich. Arty stayed behind the cell for a day.

Arty just looked down. He was frustrated, but he knew his brother was only concerned for him. "I can take care of myself, you know. I'm not a kid anymore." He could hear a sigh on the other end of the phone.

" _But you're my little brother. I'm just concerned. That's what big brothers do._ " Mark obviously had a lot on his mind. This was one more thing to worry about. " _Listen Art, I'm only calling because I care. I just don't want to see you get in trouble or get hurt. Last time, it was just a sandwich, but next time…_ " Mark waited for his little brother to answer back, but was met with silence. He probably thought it was best to leave it here. "Anyway, just take care. I'll always be there for you, little brother."

"Thanks… I guess." Arty replied.

The call ended, but Arty had a lot on his mind now after that call. Wanting to clear his head, he decided to take a long walk.

* * *

John uncurled himself over the sofa, stretching his long narrow body while Rusty tried to make himself comfortable over the executive chair. And for some reason, just because he was now here anyway, might as well ask the question, right?

"How are the others, Rusty?" John asked.

"Who?" Rusty replied.

"You know. The guys. Tom? Rob?" John clarified.

"Oh… uhm… yeah." Rusty started out. "I saw Tom a few months ago. He let me stay cuz… you know. Staying somewhere in Deerbrooke County." There was another detail. Rusty was reluctant to share it at first, but John needed to know. "They found a lump in his liver, John."

John lifted his head from the sofa and turned his head to Rusty. "That's terrible."

"I think it's on remission though. He's been trying this natural diet. Got it from some exclusive club here. I believe the name was Mystic Spring Oasis."

John just nodded. He'd been inside the Oasis before, but he didn't quite enjoy what they had to offer, and so, never returned for another visit.

"I haven't heard from Rob though."

"Is he alright?" John asked, puzzled.

"That's just it. It's like he just disappeared. If we told ourselves never to see each other again, he's doing a foxtrotin' good job." Rusty added.

"Which reminds me…" John interrupted as he remembered something. "How's that useless pig?"

* * *

It was another day for Judy Hopps in the office. Most of the time she would be out in the field with her partner, but she would come here once in a while to do some paperwork. Nick came here even rarer. Since Judy was his partner anyway, they would be witness to the same events and she would be doing most of the paperwork. They agreed it to be that way since Judy was more thorough in her reports. They were mostly in-agreement with what they have written, so seeing Nick in the office, much like an eclipse, is a rare occurrence.

"Hopps!" A voice called out.

Her ears perked up instinctively. Chief Bogo had come to see her in her cubicle.

"May I have a minute?" The chief asked before heading back to his office.

Judy stopped whatever it was she was doing and immediately followed her superior into his office.

Once she came inside, she immediately went straight for the guest chair in front of Bogo's desk. She did not wait long before the chief spoke up.

"Hopps, this just came in from the DA's office, regarding the Bellwether sentencing."

Her ears rose slightly higher at hearing the familiar name. "Bellwether, sir?" Judy asked.

"They're postponing the sentencing again."

The moment Bogo said that, he could already see the fury raging within her. It started with the nose-twitching, then the ear-twitching, and his personal favorite, the foot-stomping. She was visibly upset.

She wanted to scream, but she tried her best to hold it in. "With all due respect, sir." The bunny replied as calmly as she could with great effort. "But this case has dragged far long enough. How hard is it to sentence a person with a guilty verdict? We have concrete evidence. Even, the delay set before her has given us more than enough evidence to convict her several lifetimes!" Her voice was probably louder now.

"Now Hopps." The cape buffalo started calmly. "I know you are frustrated as much as I am. I've already made my complaint, but you must understand, Ms. Bellwether has friends in higher places that somehow still help her. If there's any consolation, she won't be going anywhere outside of prison. And if they delay it indefinitely, it is in a way a life sentence. This is pretty much a case of justice delayed, but not really denied."

"I suppose." She replied, her mood now spoiled with the news.

"Just wanted to let you know, Hopps. Dismissed."

Judy jumped off the chair and made an arm salute to the chief. "Thank you, sir."

Chief Bogo returned the salute and Judy found her way out.

* * *

Judy went for the gym inside the precinct building. Wearing her boxing outfit, she focused at her target, a punching bag. She clearly wanted to blow-off some steam.

 _This has been my dream since I was a kid._

 _It's a real proud day for us little guys._

While she was punching and kicking the bunching bag, she kept recalling back on the time Bellwether almost had them.

 _You've always got a friend in City Hall, Judy._

She was no friend. Everything she stood for were against her very principles. Her punches were a little harder now.

 _Fear always works. And I'll dart every predator in Zootopia to keep it that way._

SLAM!

Nick, who had been looking for his partner, had just entered the gym. "There you are Carro-" He stopped mid-sentence.

He looked down and noticed the punching bag on the floor. Apparently, Judy had just dislodged the punching bag with a powerful kick from her hind legs.

"Remind me not to get on your bad side, Juds."

Judy was so focused on her sparring, she had only noticed Nick arrive. "Rough day." Judy answered.

"So I've heard. Chief told me all about it."

"And you're not upset? Justice delayed but not really denied. What does that even mean?" Judy picked up her towel from the nearby chair and put it around her neck.

"As I would always say, Carrots, never let them get to you. But make no mistake, I am." Nick consoled. "Now, are you done? Cause I've got something that'll cheer you up."

* * *

Day 7

A cape buffalo entered the intensive care unit. Being in the I.C.U. meant that he had to wear protective clothing such as a gown, plastic hoof gloves and a face mask. He approached the doctor that was in charge of the condition of one of his officers.

"Chief Bogo, I suppose you want to hear the bad news first or the good news?" The doctor, who was a sheep, asked.

"Just give it to me straight, doc. How's my boy doing?"

"We've stabilized the patient, for now. We've stitched up the wound. He just needs a few weeks rest." The doctor replied. He noticed the chief had a wave of relief wash over him. "However, the patient suffered significant blood loss. He may be unconscious weeks to come, though it is unlikely. My estimate, he'll open his eyes in under a week, but it's all up in the air."

"I see." The chief replied.

"Other notable injuries are cracked ribs on his right, a broken phalange…" The doctor continued on until he realized he was not paying attention to him anymore. He simply looked through the glass separating him from the patient. He held an object on his hoof.

"May I?" The chief asked.

"Of course." The doctor replied.

The chief came inside and looked at the patient's sickly condition. He had seen better days, the chief thought. He slowly placed the object he held on top of the adjacent desk before leaving the room

"I suppose I should give you more time." The doctor replied.

"No, doctor. I was just about to leave. Please take good care of him. This patient means a lot to one of my officers." Bogo replied as he was accompanied by the doctor.

"He's in good paws."

Inside the room was a red fox quietly resting, his head was covered in bandages. His breathing reverberated from the respirator mask attached to his muzzle.

On the adjacent table lay an item, a police badge. On it, the name Nicholas P. Wilde.

To be continued…

SNAKE IN THE BIG CITY


	5. Chapter 5: Heist (Part 2)

A/N: Well, this is it. The big one apparently. The continuation to my Heist story and the ending of this arc of the story. The next chapter will probably be less serious before we get into something deep again.

Honestly, I wanted to upload this yesterday, but I hadn't gamed in a while so…. Also, I didn't expect it to be this long, but apparently, it reached almost 9K words.

Just a disclaimer: This chapter has a lot of switching scenes so it might get confusing. Hopefully not :P. I made the order as less confusing as I can, alternating between the day after the heist to days leading to the heist.

* * *

Summary: Judy investigates the Bank of Zootopia heist. John recruits an old friend.

Previously…

"You know, I heard the best way of starting fresh is making your own bar. Get a bunch of henchmen, stuff like that."

"It looks like… we're gonna rob a bank."

"Listen Art, I'm only calling because I care. I just don't want to see you get in trouble or get hurt. Last time, it was just a sandwich, but next time…"

On the adjacent table lay an item, a police badge. On it, the name Nicholas P. Wilde.

Chapter 5: Heist (Part 2)

1 Day after the Heist

Judy woke up from the bright light that shone on her face. She soon realized that it was morning and she found herself lying on a hospital bed for some reason. She was alone. The rumble of the air conditioning was the only noise filling up the room. She slowly rose from her bed trying to recall the events prior, wondering to herself why she was in the hospital to begin with. For a moment, it would seem she was amnesiac, but then it hit her. She remembered the chase, then the crash, she and Nick being rescued, the chief. It was all coming back.

"Nick." She remembered. She attempted to get herself out of the bed only to find IV fluids attached to her right arm. Before she could pull out the chords, an unexpected visitor arrived in her room.

"Good to see you awake, Ms. Hopps." A sheep replied.

Judy Hopps was confused for a moment, the sheep had a similar build to that of Bellwether, until she realized that this sheep was a he. Realizing it was only her mind playing tricks, she calmed down.

"Who are you? Where's Nick?" Judy asked.

"Doctor Shepherd, ma'am. And I'm afraid you can't visit him if you plan to look for hi-"

"Where is Nicholas P. Wilde!" She cut the doctor short.

The doctor noted her distressed state. He was warned by Chief Bogo that something like this would happen. The bunny had an overwhelming responsibility to his partner. And so, perhaps to ease her pain, he allowed her a short visit.

The ICU was not easily accessed by visitors because of the strict requirements of the facility requiring to be sterile. There were also visiting hours and they were visiting at the wrong time. Thankfully, the ICU had a glass window that allowed a visitor to see through the inside. Judy simply leaned to the window, her eyes focused intently on the unconscious fox, her partner. She lay there still, her ears droopy. She was speechless. She had made a mistake that nearly cost her partner's life and she felt terrible for it.

"If you must know, he is stable. He will be fine. We don't know when he'll be conscious though, but he seems to be recovering quite well. I'd give him a few days. A week at most." The sheep looked at the bunny in front of him. Chief Bogo was right. The fox meant very much to this bunny. He didn't know why, let alone a fox and a rabbit, two of some of the most disagreeable species. The doctor came closer, put a hoof on her shoulder, and simply consoled her.

"He's lucky to have a partner like you. Had you not called sooner, he would have lost a lot more blood. He would've died of exsanguination." Doctor Shepherd explained.

Judy did not know what to make of this information. This doctor was saying that her quick reaction saved Nick, but that detail was overshadowed by the fact that it was her carelessness that led her partner to be critically hospitalized.

"Ms. Hopps, the good news is that you've sustained relatively minor injuries, the injury being a concussion. We'll prescribe you some medication for that. Other than that, if all goes well, we can release you before lunch."

She felt even guiltier now. Her partner was critically injured but she walks away with scratches. She gave the doctor a smile. "Thank you." She politely replied.

* * *

Day 5

In a pub somewhere in Downtown Zootopia, rumors were spreading around. Duke was recruiting animals. While he never did say the specifics due to… obvious reasons, people knew that the weasel was up to no good. Word on the street was that he was in hot water while others thought he was doing someone's bidding.

Or it was a bit of both.

Duke was a well-known guy in the underground world of Zootopia. A small time weasel who allows himself to be hired by big time personalities. Duke was the guy to go to when you needed something. And the guy you want to avoid when he needed something from you. Because when he needs something from you, it's not him talking.

So it was no surprise that after an overnight looking around, he could not get a single potential candidate to follow him. He sat on a stool by the counter wallowing in his immediate problems.

"Johnny is gonna have my tail for this." Duke said as he held a bottle of liquor already half empty.

"A little too early for a drink, don't you think?"

The weasel looked at the animal next to him. He was a fennec fox that wore a black buttoned shirt and what appeared to be navy green khaki shorts. He knew this fennec fox. He'd seen him before. He was Wilde's accomplice. Apparently, he wanted to start a conversation.

"And you're here because…" Duke asked.

Finnick looked at his own shot from a bottle of rum called The Savage Seas. He just laughed it off when he realized how cynical he was. "I'm always here." He replied. "Well more than most. Ever since Nick's been gone, I've had more free time."

Duke was no genius but he knew the subtle message Finnick was trying to say. Free time had another meaning. And it would seem, by the frequency he would visit this place, he was without a job and looking for work.

Duke got his brain to working. His search has been fruitless over the past day and then came this Fennec fox who seems to be looking for work. But just as he was about to offer him a job, the fox spoke. "Say Duke, I've been hearing rumors… you know… that you were looking for people."

"I don't know, Finn. You look like you've lost your mojo." Duke replied. He wanted to know what kind of reaction Finnick would make. Is he really desperate?

Finnick raised a brow. "Is that a joke?"

"Come on, Finn. You coming to me for work? Either the world's ended or ya' desperate."

His posture seemed to change to a less confident one though. "Maybe the pawpsicle business hasn't been goin' a smooth as I'd hoped."

Duke smiled. It looks like he was not going back empty handed. And maybe a drink once in a while at the local pub did help solve your problem. "Well Finn." He started. "Today is your lucky day."

* * *

1 Day after the Heist

The Bank of Zootopia building was shut off from the public. A bank robbery had supposedly occurred and the whole place was now a crime scene. Police scoured the area searching for clues. Since the building fell under the jurisdiction of precinct 1, Chief Bogo was responsible heading the security of the vicinity as well as investigation.

"You have got to be kidding me." He muttered to himself as a familiar grey bunny approached the scene.

Judy Hopps had checked out of the hospital just moments ago. She already knew where to go, being one of the first responders and all. It also helps that this is all over the news.

"Hopps, you're supposed to be resting in the hospital."

"I'm fine, chief." Judy replied. "Just need to take care of some unfinished business."

Bogo thought about her being in the investigation. While he would recommend giving her the days off especially after the accident, let's face it, this is Judy Hopps.

"Fine. But after all this is done, you'll be debriefed."

Judy Hopps followed the chief as both proceeded inside the building. The first obvious place they went for was the vault. They walked inside an elevator travelled two floors below the ground floor. Once the doors opened, more police and investigators in the scene doing whatever it was they were doing, be it taking paw prints, photos, potential evidence and so on. Chief Bogo noticed Judy looking around the corridor, checking out the security detail inside.

"There are six security cameras in this corridor alone. And yes, we've checked all six feeds from the control room. So far, we've found nothing." Chief Bogo answered wasting no time to satisfy the rabbit's unspoken query.

They reach the end of the corridor. The entrance to the vault was already opened with a couple of police officers inside.

"Notice anything strange?" The police chief asked to the bunny officer beside her.

Judy looked around the vault. It was not as big as she'd thought for what is considered the headquarters of one of the largest banks in Zootopia. It was still a maze of safe deposit boxes, mostly corporate accounts, but not as big as she had thought. She looked around the vault, noting that all the safe deposit boxes are still in their locked positions. Almost as if…

"I don't get it. You're in vault of one of the biggest banks in all of Zootopia, yet it would seem that not a single cent was even stolen."

"Amazing, isn't it?" Bogo replied.

"So, what did they steal?" Judy asked.

"Follow me."

* * *

Day 5

In the basement of the Bomb Shed, Finnick sat as still as he could. He was not afraid. No, fear isn't the word. Just conscious of the fact that two pairs of eyeballs were looking at him intently seated facing on the opposite side. So much scrutiny was focused on him.

"Yo, I could just make resume. I thought this was just a walk-in. Duke should'a told me." The fennec fox answered.

"That won't be necessary." Rusty replied.

"Okay." Finnick replied.

"So… Mr. Finnick?" Arty asked. "Describe to us your previous job?"

"Oh… previous occupation. I was a pawpsicle hustler." Finnick replied.

"Popsicle hustler?" Arty asked.

"No. Pawpsicle. You know. Red frozen paw on a popsicle stick."

It took a short two seconds before Arty's eyes widened. "Oh that was you!"

"Straight up! That was me."

"Dude! I loved those. Those were great especially on a warm sunny day. Though sometimes, they tasted kinda funny."

Finnick did not want to elaborate more, but he knew what he meant. While he would always make the paw imprint on the snow with his elephant costume on some occasions, there would come a time when there was too much demand and too little time. And so, Nick would help out making the imprints, only he was too lazy to cover his foot paws with anything. Dozens of animals would be buying it and well… let's just say the taste stuck.

"Hmmm… I guess I'll never know." Arty replied as the thought passed him. "Anyway, so what happened to you guys? I haven't seen those pawpsicle being sold in a while."

"Well… my partner kinda moved on. He handled most of the work, so when he left, things kinda fell apart." Finnick's ears drooped at the thought of his partner.

"And this partner of yours isn't a certain red fox in blue uniform, is he?"

"Who's that?" Finnick looked at the new animal inside the room, a snake beside a familiar weasel.

"If you get the job, then I'd be your boss." John crawled his way toward his two companions. "Sorry you had to start without me. I was just on the phone and it dragged on pretty long." He looked toward the fennec fox. "You don't need to answer that by the way. Duke already told me."

"Really?"

"Yes. In fact, if you two could just leave. I'd like to speak with Mr… Finnick alone."

"Well… fine with me." Arty answered as he and Rusty took their cue and left the room basement. Duke also followed them.

At last, they were alone.

John wasted no time. He needed to get this done. "Do you know what I value most here? Loyalty." John went on to explain further. "Those two animals you saw a while back? I've known them for years."

"And Duke?"

"Well… he owes me money, but that's beside the point." He now looked at the fennec fox eye to eye. He was real serious now. "My question is, can I count on you?"

* * *

Night had fallen. Nick stayed in the passenger seat of their cruiser hiding in an alley. The alley was across the street from the Bomb Shed. He had been sitting in the car for twelve hours. He was tired and hungry. He lifted his paw to his grumbling tummy, but the pain would eventually go away on tired eyes. Slowly, his eyes started to close, ready to go into deep and long sleep.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

Nick jolted from his seat. His eyes wide awake now from the disturbance.

"Nick! Open up!" A voice called out.

He looked to his left seeing Judy just outside the window. Nick let her inside without hesitation. "What took you so long, Carrots?"

"A really long line. Apparently, there are too many sloths in this city" Judy replied as she shut the door. She held two brown bags on her paw. "That's one bug plate for you and one veggie plate for me."

"You didn't forget the soda, did you?"

She held out her other paw. "Of course I didn't. You think I don't know you by now?"

He was impressed and he showed it with the biggest grin he could muster. "I'm starvin'."

"Better eat up then, Slick. We could be here for a while."

"Food on a cop car watching out for potential crime. Classic stakeout."

They begin eating the food inside the brown bags while watching out for any suspicious movements outside the bar.

"So… what happened while I was away?" Judy asked wanting to start a casual conversation with her partner.

"Nawthim much." Nick replied, food still in his mouth.

"Nothing much?"

Nick swallowed his food. "Carrots, you were gone for nearly two hours. Yeah, you missed a lot." Nick grabbed the a police-issued camera and handed it to her. "See for yourself."

Judy grabbed the camera and flipped the power switch. She began sifting through the photo gallery. Along with the python, a familiar character is spotted with Judy's eyes. "Duke Weaselton. He's in contact with Wrangler."

"Duke has a long criminal history of theft and illicit trade, but I'm sure you know that by now." Nick replied.

"You know, Duke is a small-time thief, but considering he once worked for Bellwether." Judy added.

Nick was deep in thought. Judy noticed that something was bothering him. "Something wrong, Nick?"

"You remember that dinner? I looked through that python's eyes and I could tell from then and there that this he was hiding something. I don't know what?" Nick replied.

"I saw his file though. He's clean." Judy added. "Although, I did find something peculiar. Another file from the Zootopian Armed Forces. I couldn't open the file though on the account that it was top secret."

"And suddenly, the plot thickens."

Judy continued flipping through the photos again seeing another familiar figure in all of them. "Nick! There are a lot of pictures of me in here."

Nick nearly gagged at the soda he was drinking. He immediately grabbed the camera. "Okay! You definitely shouldn't have seen that." He replied, now forming a nerve-racking smile.

Judy looked at him with disappointment. "Apparently, you can't be trusted with the camera."

"And you can't be trusted to order take-out." Nick playfully answered back.

"Okay, I get it." Judy replied in slight annoyance. "I got you food, didn't I?"

Nick smiled once more. "That you did, Carrots. That you did."

They had finally finished eating their supper and were back to quietly just staring in front of their windshield. Luckily, they did not have to wait long.

"I see movement." Nick called out.

Judy looked out at the rather dimly lit road. "I wish I had night vision."

"You're already the fastest mammal in the force, just give this to me." Nick jokingly replied.

"I wanna be whole package."

"In your dreams, Carrots." Nick then noticed a truck move out of the alley beside the Bomb Shed. Nick then picked up a camera and started taking pictures of the moving truck.

"Did you get to see who was driving?" Judy asked.

"No. It didn't look like one of the wolves were driving. Perp looks too short."

"Duke?" Judy suggested.

"Hard to tell."

* * *

Day 7 Heist Day

The truck had finally evaded the cops completely and proceeded toward the harbor.

It was not long before it finally reached the harbor area. The truck passed by a few warehouses before it turned left from an intersection. It followed the path until it reached a warehouse. Once inside, the truck stopped and its engine was shut off. The driver's door opened and down came out a fennec fox. He held with him a gas can. He was carefully pouring the liquid as he exited the driver seat. Finally, when he was in a safe distance, he reached for a matchbox in his pocket and picked out a match. He struck the matchbox with it and a fire ignited. Without hesitation, he dropped the match to the beginning trail of petrol and began walking away. The fire ignited and soon retraced its steps to the truck.

The fennec fox was far enough when he heard an explosion from afar.

His job was done.

* * *

1 Day after Heist

Judy approached a safe deposit box that had just been opened recently. It had the numbers 1249, indicating the safe deposit box number. The bank had told them that the key for this particular box had vanished the time of the incident. She took a good look at its supposed contents, only to find that it was empty save for an electronic drive of some sort. There was a port in front of it where you could attach a flash drive.

"It's the modern age, Hopps. With everything running on computers, documents are getting digitized."

"If I may ask, chief. What is stored in this drive?"

"Bank accounts, personal information, contracts, it could be anything. Unfortunately, bank secrecy laws don't allow us to peek in these drives. So far, no one, not even the bank has filed a criminal complaint. That brings us back to square one."

"What about the truck, sir?" Judy asked. "Were you able to find it."

"Fortunately, yes." The chief replied. "Unfortunately, the truck was found burnt at the harbor. Any identification from the plate or the chassis would've been lost."

"I see." Judy said in deep thought.

She looked over the roof and noted there was ventilation system overhead. She pointed at one of the vents. "Where do those head to?"

* * *

They made it to the roof of the building, where the large air conditioning units were located. All of the units were on and humming.

The police officers spread out to look for more clues.

Judy looked carefully, examining each of the air conditioning units. She went to the nearest one from the exit first. The first one was she noted was bolted tight. There were no signs of breakage in any of the openings. In the middle of her search, she caught a glimpse of the view outside. It did not occur to her until now that she was at the top floor. She could see the world over, but her eyes shrunk once more, her legs slowly shook. The parapet of the building was not sufficiently sized in height to keep an animal from tripping and falling.

She heard the sound of water running even if she was far from any body of water. She shakily walked her way towards the edge of the parapet to see a water fall of water as if she was back from Cliffside falls.

"Hopps!"

She blinked her eyes and opened them again. She was back at the rooftop once more. She immediately stepped away from the edge of the building only to be caught by the chief as she walked backwards. She nearly screamed in surprise.

"Hopps! You look pale. Did something take the wind out of you?"

Of course he would not know if she looked pale. She was covered in fur after all. But the sudden change in the rabbit's demeanor did not escape the police chief. And in a panicked state, she tried to think of an excuse, but the rabbit was spared from explaining herself. The chief went straight to the point.

"We found something."

Judy followed Chief Bogo to one of the air conditioning units. One of the officers that found the hole stood by as the two officers approached the scene. Judy knelt to take a closer look at the disturbed entrance. "This was the point of entry." Judy concluded.

"And the point of exit as well." The chief suggested.

She stood up. Something was off and it seemed to throw off all her assumptions of the case. If this was the point of entry or even exit, then where did they come from? How did they leave? According to the bank, there were no disturbances recorded on the roof top.

What's worst was that there was only one camera on the roof top and that camera was facing the door, which she already established that this was not the point of entry.

"Wait a minute…" She thought. An idea struck her and it might just work. "The flight schedules! We need to see the flight schedule of the building."

* * *

Day 6

Duke was now back in his stall of bootleg DVDs. His forehead connected with the table top and complemented with loud snoring. There was a sign on top of the desk written "CLOSED". The past few days had been really stressful for the weasel. Running around the city to first get money, then to recruit people, it took a toll on his body. He was not off the hook yet with good ol' Johnny, but he gathered this would probably the only time he could catch some shut eye. He realized that he'd only had a few hours of sleep over the past two days. His aching body was screaming for him to slow down. All he wanted now at this very moment was rest. He could care less if he had customers today.

Unaware to him, two figures stood before his stall.

"He looks cute when he sleeps." Said Judy.

"So it's okay for a rabbit to call other animals cute? That's specieist." Nick joked.

Judy just smiled. "So are we going to wake him?"

Nick looked at his phone to check the time. "I suppose we could give him five minutes. He looks really tired."

Duke was happily dreaming. He was on his way to a deep and peaceful sleep when he was disturbed. His sleep was now broken as he suddenly lifted his head. His eyes were unfocused and his hearing was off. His mind was scrambled, unable to make sense of the words being thrown at him. It took a while for his senses to come through, though he was still sluggish. Regardless, he could make the faces of what looks to be a fox and a rabbit in uniform.

"Wilde! Can't you read? The sign says CLOSED!" Duke looked at his companion and realized both of them were in uniform. "Cottontail. I should've known. You look terrible in your new outfit, Wilde!"

"Yes, long time no see, Duke." Nick replied. "And you just look plain terrible."

Duke narrowed his eyes at the two unwanted guests. They had definitely noticed the bags under his blood-shot eyes and probably his heightened irritability. "What do you want, Wilde?"

Judy this time spoke to weasel. "Well, Officer Wilde and Officer Cottontail here just came by to ask for a few questions. Did my partner note how terrible you look?"

"Is that a question?" Duke replied.

"You look like you've been busy Weselton. What have you been up to?" Judy asked.

"It's Weaseltown!" Duke replied. "No wait a minute, I meant Weseltown?" Sleep deprivation was taking its toll on him now.

"Weaselton?" Nick replied.

"Yeah! What he said."

"Duke, just answer the question." Judy replied.

"I did!" Duke declared. "Did I?" Now he was confused.

Judy sighed. "What have you been up to, Duke?"

"That's none of your bees nest." Duke fumbled with his words as he pointed a claw on her.

"You know, withholding vital information to an officer is a felony, Duke." Nick replied. "Just answer the question."

"You know, I have a right to remain resilient, Wilde."

The two officers just rolled their eyes. "Okay fine. Then we'll do the talking for you." Nick replied. "Last night, you were in Sahara Square at a bar called the Bomb Shed. We saw you with a python named John Wrangler."

"Yeah. Well so what?" Duke replied.

"We need to know what your relationship with Johnny is. What does he want with a weasel such as yourself?" Judy explained.

"Look, I make lots of dates with animals in this city."

Nick blurted out a small laugh.

Duke then realized what he had said and corrected himself. "I meant deals. It's nothing big, and definitely none of your bees… busisiness… beezee-"

"Business?"

Duke sighed. It would seem that he was too tired thinking straight. "Look, I'm not in the right condition to answer your questions, so just leave me alone."

"Alright. Just one last question and we'll be on our way." Nick asked.

"Would you like another visit with our good old friend, Mr. Big?" Judy asked.

The weasel's eyes shot wide. In an instant, all his sleepiness had left him as he looked the two officers, his mind flashing back to when he was nearly 'iced' that fateful day.

"You wouldn't! You're too goody-two-paws." Duke replied hysterically.

"True. I wouldn't. Nick on the other hand…" She pointed her paw on him.

"I'm not afraid to get dirty, Duke." Nick replied.

Duke Weaselton gulped.

* * *

Arty was beside a parapet on the top of the roof deck of the bar. He liked the fact that the building had an access to the roof. Despite being just a single story, it had a good view of the street, and a decent view of the downtown skyline. And despite everything that was said about this place being low traffic and having low real estate value, he figured it was not all that bad. But today his eyes simply looked past the buildings. He was deep in thought, his phone call with his brother still fresh in his mind.

 _Listen Art, I'm only calling because I care. I just don't want to see you get in trouble or get hurt._

His words were still echoing vividly in his mind. Was he having second thoughts? What about Buster? He just stared out to the city skyline.

"Mind if I join in."

Arty looked behind him seeing the python, his employer, with a bottle and two glasses with his tail. "Got something from the store room." John replied.

Arty didn't reply he just stared back at the skyline once more. John approached him, carefully placing the two glasses on the ledge and pouring it with the liquid.

"When this is all done, I think I am going to consider your advice and change the name of this bar."

The wolf chuckled at the mere mention of that. "Really?"

"Of course not. You know why." John laughed as he took a sip from his glass. "I trust you, Art."

"Thanks, boss." Arty replied.

"What's botherin' you? You're doing this lone wolf thing again." John asked.

Arty's ears dropped. It was something he did not want to get into. "It's just a wolf thing you know."

"I thought howling was a wolf thing."

"Yeah… well we've got a lot of things. We're not exactly the most sociable of creatures."

"Not exactly the most anti-social either."

Arty sighed. "You know, when I was a kid, I wanted to be a cop." Arty explained. "My brother and I, we'd play cops and robbers just outside our home in Tundratown."

"That's a mighty noble profession. What happened?"

"My brother and I joined the police academy, but I dropped out on my first year. Couldn't pass the physicals. Things went downhill from there, especially between my brother and I." Arty then took a sip from his glass.

"Well, you're not the only failure here." John replied back. "You wanna know what I wanted to be back when I was a kid?" John asked.

"What?" the wolf asked.

"Astronaut."

At the mention of that profession, both animals laughed like it was a joke beyond ridiculous. "I know, right? I mean, the guy with no arms and legs flying a rocket ship to space." John replied. "But I did want to be one and I thought if I believed in myself hard enought, then I could."

"So I joined the military and earned my wings." John continued. "I worked my way from the bottom. Eventually, I found myself heading a flight of helicopters at the 104th Tactical Transport Squadron. We flew the big ones. We nicknamed them the jolly green giants on the account that they were large transport helicopters painted green, but they had a pretty assortment of weapons and gear. Those were the days. One day, I got a letter of recommendation to get transferred to the Green Tails of the 19th Fighter Wing. Green Tails were a group of reptile fighter pilots. The best of the best. I would've been flying fighters, you know. That was roughly twenty years ago."

"What happened?" Arty asked.

"Shot in action." John simply stated. "A tail is everything a snake has. Break it, and he has nothing. Five years of therapy. I haven't had the same opportunities since."

Arty stared down at his own glass. "My brother called me the other day."

"So that's what's bothering you?" John asked.

"He asked me if I was up to something. Actually, asked me if you were up to something."

"He's just being a good brother, but Buster needs our help."

"I know, it's just… I don't… want to be a disappointment anymore." Arty then asked one the most important questions of his life. "I want to save Buster, but there must be another way."

There was silence between them once more. Arty waited for John to respond. He hoped the python would not be disappointed by his… weakness.

"You know if I could be having my way…" John answered as he looked at Arty in the most serious way he could. "If I could have it my way, we would not be robbing a bank."

The wolf smiled, seemingly happy that the boss was on he were on the same page this whole time. "Still want to do something about it?"

The python just smiled. "I thought you'd never asked."

* * *

One day after the heist… Present Day

John looked at his mirror getting himself ready. Tonight was going to be a big night and he wanted to get dressed for the occasion. Sure, he did not have much of a wardrobe option. It was either ties or hats or both. He was picking what neck tie to wear best. He eventually settled for a black bowtie. As for hats, he decided to forego the option.

Knock! Knock!

John realized that someone was at the front door. He was not expecting any visitors. Arty did say he was going straight to the bomb shelter. So he quickly went for the door. Once he opened it, he was greeted by a bunny officer with escort guards. She carried with her a folder.

"Excuse me?" John asked.

"Mr. Wrangler, we want to invite you down the precinct for questioning." Judy Hopps stated.

"For what?" John asked.

"Questioning regarding the heist at the Bank of Zootopia." Judy stated.

"No."

Judy looked at the snake, her demeanor changed to a more serious tone. He signaled the police escort to stay outside while she entered inside the snake's apartment. She then closed the door behind her.

It was her first time to be inside his neighbor's apartment. She looked around and realized that the room was nothing special. Just a few decors here and there a few picture frames. The pictures themselves were not personal. Just landscape. There wasn't anything grand. One thing she did notice was a medal lying on the center of a table that also carried other picture frames. It stood out because of the purple ribbon.

"I know it was you!" Judy started.

"Me?" John asked.

"Don't play dumb! That getaway truck we chased, that was yours. We know. We have photos."

"Now that you mention, my truck was stolen three days ago. I asked Art to file a police report. Are you saying you found it?" John asked.

John was right. When Nick typed the plate number, it came out as stolen. The confusion led her to accidentally crash the car. "We found it alright. Found it burnt to a crisp." Judy stated.

"There's always insurance."

"I may as well bring you in for insurance fraud. I know you planned this whole thing."

"You have no proof. And as I said, my truck was stole-"

Judy grabbed a hold of his neck. The usually cheery bunny was filled with anger. "A cop is in the hospital because of you."

"Wha-at? You-re foxy fri-end." John spoke out while the grip around his neck was getting tighter.

"If I wasn't a cop, I would strangle you here and now for what you've done."

"My de-ar, yo-you did thi-is to y-yourself." John replied as he tried to gasp for air.

Judy released her grip, dropping the snake to the ground. "Duke confessed! He said you planned on robbing the Bank of Zootopia. That you would have used the truck that night to steal two million dollars."

"But that's not what happened, is it?" John said, still breathing heavy gulps.

"No. But I tried something else. I checked the flight schedules for yesterday. Apparently, there was one helicopter carrying a Gary Wolfowitz." She showed her a picture from the folder she carried. "Look familiar?"

John looked at the photo. It was an arctic wolf in a business attire complete with a suite, a tie, a coat and slacks. Judy read his face and she knew then and there that she'd won. John looked at her with shock. Eventually, resignation fell upon his face. "Alright. I'll go to the precinct for questioning."

* * *

John was being escorted by the police officers outside of the apartment. But just as they were about to let John inside the police car, another police car came into the neighborhood, sirens blaring, and stopped in front of the other police car. Judy Hopps approached the other vehicle as the doors opened, revealing the animals inside.

Judy Hopps showed her badge. "Officer Judy Hopps, Precinct 1. What is the meaning of this?"

A pig also showed his badge. "Officer Julius Swine, Precinct 7. I see you've found our perp."

"You're perp! We came here first! He's ours!" Judy declared.

"Actually, he's one of our informants, Officer Hopps."

"Do explain, Officer Swine. I find this hard to believe."

"You see, we've asked for Mr. Wrangler's assistance to help monitor suspicious activities within the bank. Money laundering, counterfeiting, etc. He's been really helpful with his assistance. So please, hand him over to us. We also request that you hand out all information regarding the heist to our precinct."

Judy was furious. Her foot was stomping violently. After everything that's happened, she could not just let this python go and throw away all her work.

"We'll take into consideration the efforts of your precinct when we write our final report, special mention to you Officer Hopps as well as your partner Officer Wilde."

Judy took a heavy breath. It was over. She signaled one of the accompanying officers to release the python and be handed to the other officers.

"Ms. Hopps." John called out.

Judy looked at him with annoyance.

"Just so there's no hard feelings, I left something for you in your front door." John smiled.

Julius gave his thanks to the Hopps and her team as John was put inside their own car. Once the pig was inside, they drove off the neighborhood. Once they were far away, Officer Julius began to talk to the snake.

"Back from the dead, Taggert?"

"I never left, you good for nothing pig. And what kind of name is Julius Swine?"

"You know I don't make the names."

"Special Missions. Still making horrible names five years later. Boy, was Rusty thrilled to see you again."

"Speaking of which, want to know what name they gave him? It's hilarious."

This piqued the python's interest. "He never told me."

"Bogart Croce."

John tried his best to contain his laughter, but he could not contain it. This was just too funny. Laughter reverberated inside the car.

They eventually made their way to a Special Missions safe house. They switched cars and headed straight to the Bomb Shed.

* * *

Judy returned to her apartment unit. True enough, John had an item put right outside her door. It was small and gift-wrapped. She carefully opened the item and revealed it to be a pen. But it was no ordinary pen. There was a microphone and a speaker in the pen. It was a voice-recording pen just like her carrot pen. There was a message taped on the pen.

 _Play me_

The bunny officer complied and pressed the play button.

 _"Look, I'm not in the right condition to answer your questions, so just leave me alone."_

 _"Alright. Just one last question and we'll be on our way."_

 _"Would you like another visit with our good old friend, Mr. Big?"_

 _"You wouldn't! You're too goody-two-paws."_

 _"True. I wouldn't. Nick on the other hand…"_

 _"I'm not afraid to get dirty, Duke."_

Judy stopped the recording. Judy's eyes widened in surprised. It was a recording of Nick and her when they interviewed Duke. Duke had apparently been recording the conversation all along. John had somehow implicated her and Nick with having close ties to a crime boss. If it got out, it would be the end of her and Nick's career.

Judy realized it too late, but the python now had leverage against her and her partner.

* * *

Arty was just above the roof deck of the Bomb Shed. He was on the phone, his brother on the line once more.

" _You know, I saw those security photos at the bank heist. Could've sworn I saw you there._ "

"Must be a look-alike." Arty made small-coughing noises.

" _Right. A look-alike._ "

"Even if that was me, hypothetically, you would agree that I look good in a suit."

" _How'd do you know this look-alike wore a suit?_ "

"Uh… It's a bank?"

" _Arthur, you goofball!_ " Arty chuckled. He liked it when his brother would call him that. It reminded him of the good old days when they were just pups. " _Well, it doesn't matter. Bank isn't pressing charges on the account that the account holders aren't pressing charges. And it turns out the entire thing was an operation from a different precinct._ "

"You don't say."

" _Well it's one giant happy ending… sort of._ "

Arty looked at the street, seeing a car approaching to the bar. "Look, I gotta go. I'll talk to you later."

" _Arthur, wait._ "

"Yeah."

" _This is gonna sound sappy. So I just want to say I'm proud of you_ … _for not stooping down to the level of criminal."_ Arty smiled. Hearing that almost made him teary eyed. _"And yes, that look-alike looked very good in a suit._ "

"Thanks, Mark."

With that they ended their call. Arty rushed downstairs until he was inside the bar. Almost everyone was there: Rusty, Finnick, Duke Weaselton, Johnny and his pig friend. Apparently, Arty learned from John that the pig was an intelligence officer of his unit in Special Missions.

"You okay?" Arty asked to the fennec fox, who was sitting by himself in silence.

"Hmm…" Finnick noticed that the arctic fox was talking to him.

"You seem… upset."

Finnick sighed. "Nick Wilde is in the hospital because of me."

"I thought you were just partners." Arty asked.

"I thought so too… I just… I don't know. I feel responsible for it."

Arty put a paw on his shoulder. "It's not your fault. But if he is your friend, you should visit him at the hospital."

"I intend to do that." Finnick looked at Duke who seemed to be ready to douse off. "If you'll excuse me."

Duke sat on a chair in front of a table. He was still gripping his head. Hours of sleep in the single digits after three days have taken its toll. He had doused off for much of the entire day, waking up only after noon. His body clock was screwed up. Until now, he still felt groggy.

"Take this."

Duke looked at the fennec fox who was offering him a glass of water. "Thanks." Duke replied. He took the glass and drank the water.

"Feeling better?" Finnick asked.

"Yeah. A little."

Elsewhere in the room, John mingled with Hammy.

"ZPD still bothering you?" Hammy asked.

"No. And I'm not counting on them to go after me any time soon." John replied. "Thanks for the tip-off, by the way. That recording was just what I needed."

"Any time." Hammy replied.

John looked at the clock. It was getting a little late. "You think they'll come?" He asked.

"Well, you'd think emailing them a copy of all their illicit transactions would have them steaming here right now." Hammy replied.

Just then, the door opened violently, everyone inside the room shifted their attention to the door as a group of polar bears emerged from the door, with the biggest one carrying Mr. Big himself.

"After trashing my car and beating up one of my guys, you still have the nerve to blackmail me, Johnny." Mr. Big replied.

"Relax, Mr. Big. We invited you here with nothing but good intentions… minus the blackmail." John replied.

"I'd listen to the snake, if I were you." Hammy replied. "Wouldn't want those secrets emailed to every known government agency around the world."

"Should've just taken the insurance and call it a day, just like what I did. Am I right, Finnick?"

Finnick just gave a thumbs up.

"Now show us our guy." John demanded.

Mr. Big gave out a long and audible sighed. They really got him right where they want him. Mr. Big then gave the signal for Kevin to fetch their prisoner. It didn't take long before the polar bear came back with a familiar gray wolf.

"Buster!" Arty yelled.

"Arty!"

They came to each other and gave themselves the biggest bro-hug.

Rusty just came to John's side. "They're not queer, right?" John just shook his head.

"It seems you have won, Johnny. But I ask this. How? How were you able to pull this off?"

John looked at the arctic shrew and gave him the smuggest smile he could muster.

* * *

Day 7: Heist day

The sun was setting as a helicopter was fast approaching the Bank of Zootopia building. Aboard the chopper was Rusty and Hammy, who piloted the aircraft, Arty, who will masquerade as a client, and John, who carried with him a utility belt that suited his body. He was going to do most of the work. The chopper was provided by Special Missions.

…

"Welcome, Mr. Wolfowitz. If you will follow us please." Replied a cheetah escort.

Arty alighted the helicopter and followed the security personnel, unaware that an extra passenger had alighted.

John went to one of the ventilation hatches and picked up a screwdriver with his tail. He soon began unscrewing the screws that put the hatch in place. When the work was done, he proceeded to go inside.

…

"Mr. Wolfowitz. I'm Heather McClawren, head bank manager. And may I say, it is truly an honor that you've considered to invest in the Bank of Zootopia." She was a tiger.

…

A few hours earlier…

"Remember to keep your chin up. When you speak, you try to speak slowly, but not too slow. Try to add more words to make yourself sound sophisticated. But most importantly, be confident." John coached.

…

 _Well here goes nothing_ …

"I'm still considering, Mrs. McClawren. As you know, nothing is final yet. Although, I must say that I have heard nothing but praise from your asset management division." He said in most sophisticated way he could.

The tiger just looked at him, then smiled. "I'm truly flattered. Perhaps you'd like a tour of this division?"

…

John, after reviewing the plans and sections of the building, traversed the ventilation system of the building. It did not take long until he found his way to the second floor basement.

Reviewing the locations of the cameras, John took out a specialized tool offered to him by Hammy. It was an electronic jammer. A click from the device would send a pulse to the entire room. It would cause a surge in the electric field, which would result in a surge in the magnetic field. The vault was shielded so the surge would be contained inside the vault. The safety deposit boxes were also shielded, so vital electronics would not be affected by the surge. The tool, however, is a one-time use only considering its size as well as the amount of energy it needed to release.

…

Judy and Nick had parked their car on the opposite side of the bank building. They had done so for three hours.

"Heads up!" Nick replied as he saw the truck.

Outside the bank building, Finnick drove the truck turned to the underground parking of the building. The garage was an automated ticketing counter. He took a ticket to which the barrier is lifted. Finnick then made his way to a parking space near the exit. Finnick then proceeded to the stairs.

…

Arty was eventually accompanied to the key room. Which housed the keys to the safety deposit boxes on the vault below. They leave the room one key short.

Arty then passed by a potted plant to which he drops the key.

Moments later, Finnick, now dressed as a janitor emerged from the stairwell door. He passed by potted plant and took the key that was planted on it. Finnick found no problem being identified by the cameras. The height of the cubicles, as well as his size, were more than adequate to obscure his view. He then proceeded to the restroom to which he places a wet floor sign. He went inside proceeded to lock the door. There was a vent inside to which he needed to unscrew quickly.

…

John activated the device. The effect was immediate. The camera stopped recording additional footage. At the control room, the images inside the bank vault froze.

John immediately got to work and came down to look for a specific deposit box identified by Hammy. He eventually found the box in question.

"1249. Here it is." John replied. "Now where is he?"

"You called." A voice echoed from the vent. He looked to see the fennec fox by the small hole. Unfortunately, the hole was not large enough for Finnick to go through. "Catch!"

John caught the key with his tail. "Thank you."

"I'll be headed back to the truck now."

"Yeah, you do that. Those two are probably looking from the outside about now."

He carefully inserted and turned the key. The box was unlocked. Upon opening, it revealed a small drive. He pulled out a flash drive from his belt and carefully inserted it on the port. Hammy instructed John to look at the blinking light of the flashdrive. As long as it was blinking, he was not to remove the drive. And so, he waited until it finally stopped. He pulled the flash drive out and immediately secured the deposit box and eventually found himself back up the vent and back to the helicopter.

"It's done." John replied.

"Good." Hammy then gave him a flash drive. "It's all in there."

John smiled as he held the flash drive with his tail. "Shouldn't have crossed me, Big."

Eventually, Arty completed the tour finally boarded the helicopter. They took-off without a hitch.

…

When the bank realized that a key to a safe deposit was missing and the vault cameras had frozen, they sounded the alarm. Unfortunately for them it was all too late.

Finnick, on the other paw, was just getting started. He took off from the bank building and hit the road, only to be followed by a police car moments after.

* * *

"You know what they say, Mr. Big. A magician never reveals his secrets."

Mr. Big simply nodded. "I underestimated you, Johnny. I will not do so again. Mark my words." He snapped his fingers. Eventually, each of the polar bears surrounding him left one by one until the last polar bear that carried Mr. Big left.

John looked at the crowd before him. "That went well."

* * *

It was a party. Food had been ordered and drinks were on the house. Today, the Bomb Shed family recovered one of their own.

John continued to look over the bar. He was happy to see everyone finally enjoying themselves, free from the pressures of work. Arty was talking to Buster something about John changing the name of the bar. You wish. Then there was Rusty, who seemed to have gotten along well with Arty, especially after they were able to return Buster and then he thought that this crocodile was not so bad. Duke and Finnick were just talking in the sidelines. John had asked Finnick earlier if he could work here. They were short of paws and needed the extra muscle. Fortunately, Finnick agreed. As for Duke, he seemed to be feeling a lot better now.

Deep down, though, he seemed to be troubled, and he was not the only one that noticed.

"Took my advice to heart. Can't say I'm not flattered." Hammy said as he looked around the bar.

"Yeah. Well… you were right?" John replied.

"Something bothers you?"

"What was that account, Hammy? Who does it belong to?"

Hammy thought for a moment trying to form his words. "Special Missions."

John raised a brow. "You wanted to break in your own account?"

"It's not like that. The account is a reserve fund. We've receive reports over the past few years of money just disappearing. Secret organizations within Special Missions siphoning funds. Bank secrecy prevents us from bugging our own account as there are multiple users. That code we inserted in the drive will allow us to monitor the transactions made to that account anywhere in the world."

"I died on paper because of secret organizations trying to hunt us down. I just hope this won't invite trouble." John replied.

"You worry too much." Hammy said as he raised a glass to him. "Learn to count your victories."

John smiled and soon crawled himself to the counter and rested on top of a stool. Arty seemed eager to serve everyone drinks.

"What will it be, boss? Shall it be bottled or tap water?" Arty joked.

"Are you wise guy now?" John thought for a moment. Then a smile formed on his lips. "Do we still got any of those Black Labels left?"

"You got it, boss. One Black Label comin' right up." Arty was a good bartender, doing those juggling tricks that good bartenders do. He handed him a glass of the liquid. John smiled as he wrapped his tail around the glass and gently swirled it. He somehow found himself looking around once more, seeing all the animals in his company. And it occurred to him, that despite all adversities thrown at him by this city, it wasn't all that bad. He was a snake in the big city, and it wasn't a bad thing. Hammy was right. We should count our victories. Worry can wait another day.

With that, he took a sip of the liquor as the party went on overnight.

SNAKE IN THE BIG CITY

A/N: Well, I'm glad this chapter is done. Now, I'ma take a short break. I stopped watching Netflix because of this :P. I might finish some tv shows I haven't yet finished. And oh yeah! House of Cards is now available where we live, but I'll probably watch in moderation. I still want regular updates to this story :).


	6. Chapter 6: Eyes

A/N: It's been a while. Apparently, I enjoyed writing Flea Season so much, I think I'm gonna make an epilogue. I have other standalone ideas but I suppose I can write them in the future. For now, I resume my updates to this story.

Anyway, there's been a development. Now that the movie is widely distributed and I have most of the Zootopia reference material, I think I may have made a mistake in one of my assumptions. I initially did not bother it at first, seeing as it could go either way, but it's becoming clear now. Fangmeyer is the white wolf, a timber wolf apparently, and not Delgato, which I now believe is a tiger, while Grizzoli is obviously a bear. And as a result, I have to change Delgato for Fangmeyer as Art's brother. Thank God, I haven't used both of them simultaneously or this would've been a mess. Other than that nothing changes, the plot is in tact. There are some revelations in the Art book don't follow my flow, but a writer can adapt. Regardless, changing something like this is quite painful for me :P. I've also done some tweaks to one of the OCs as I slightly changed his nickname cause it just sounded better. See if you can spot it (but I think I may have given it away :P). Also, if anyone can tell me what country Zootopia is actually in. I know it's not Zootopia, but I put Zootopia as a country for a filler. I hopefully intend to change that.

Also, I have an announcement at the end of the chapter.

Summary: Nick returns to work. John explains what is Special Missions. Art and Buster buy a new van. Judy gets back at John.

Previously…

"I guess this is it." John said.

"Yep." Rob replied. He headed off towards the distance.

Rusty then about faced as he walked away.

"See ya later alligator." Tom yelled.

"Very funny, Tom." Rusty replied.

They all part ways as the wreckage continued to burn in the rain.

Chapter 6: Eyes

Nick lay still in the hospital. His breathing was steady as he was asleep. Unknown to him, a visitor stood just outside his room as he stared inside to see the red fox's still form. He approached the fox that lay still on the bed, who stirred from what felt like a disturbance. Nick tried to open his eyes. His vision was blurred, but he could see something… an animal was looking at him. He tried to get a good look, but at the dim of night, he could only see a faint silhouette of the intruder's form. But being a fox meant his eyes could see through the dark. Slowly, his vision cleared and the silhouette of the figure became more defined. He noted the eyes that stared back at him. They glowed to in the darkness, but something felt warmly familiar about them. It was then that he realized that the eyes he was staring at… was his own. But he was he. Could it be?

"Dad?"

* * *

Nick woke up at the sound of the alarm clock. He was back at his old place again. But the dream was too vivid… too real. He checked on the clock and noted that it was 6:00 in the morning. He had an hour left to get to work, the first time since the accident.

* * *

Things were quiet inside Precinct One of the Zootopia Police Department. Everything was routine for the most part, even if not all things are back to normal. They were down one officer and it had to be the most notable one. Nick's laid back nature was infectious. Throwing a few jokes here and there, he would liven up the department in a way no one could. So it was a surprise for Nick to see the department was quieter than usual.

"It's like I never even joined." He commented to himself as he limped his way back to the station. He held with him a cane that supported his bad leg.

Clawhauser, being at the front desk, was the first to greet the injured fox. "Nick!" He waved at the fox.

"I've been only gone for less than two weeks and this place is in even worse shape than when I left it." Nick replied to the cheetah.

"Tell me about it." Clawhauser agreed. "Place doesn't have the Nick touch without you. How's your head?"

"Still a headaches once in a while, but nothing I can't manage." He briefly displayed to him a small prescription bottle.

"That's good. Hey, it's really nice to see you walking again… almost. Did you like step on a grape?"

Nick looked at the small splint at his pinky toe. "Oh, you noticed. Doc says I shouldn't strain it if I want to recover sooner."

"Which reminds me… Chief wants to see you in his office."

"I guess I better get going then." Nick finished as he limped with his cane to the upper floor where the chief's office is. He decided to take the PWD route and use the elevator.

…

"Paperwork? I get back at the station only to get paperwork." Nick was seated on a chair facing Chief Bogo's table. He had his injured foot on a comfy rectangular stool.

"Let's not get hasty, Wilde." The Cape Buffalo answered back as he stood up. "I have your medical report courtesy of Doctor Shepherd. Let's see… Ah yes. Head trauma…" He said while flipping a page. "Broken ribs…" He then held his injured toe propped up on the stool and pinched it. Nick winced at the pain it brought. "A broken toe." He grinned. "Even with a broken toe, it'll only slow you down. You won't catch the bad guys. Which is why I've assigned you to be in HQ at least until you've fully recovered. In the meantime, I've assigned Officer Hopps to Officer Wolford for while you recover."

Nick's ears perked up at the words. "Officer Wolford?"

"You have any reservations, Officer Wilde?"

Nick simply shook his head. "Good." Chief Bogo stood up as he made his way to the room exit.

* * *

Art was grinding the coffee beans, to which he poured on a cup. Hot water was then poured over the cup as he slowly prepared waited for the water to reach a certain height. Art knew the proportions by heart and he knew how much water he needed. Finally, he stopped pouring water in as he poured milk in and tablespoon of sugar. He set the cup on small plate near the entrance of the establishment. He stayed on the counter cleaning the glass with a white linen cloth. He was coming any moment.

True enough, the door opened. John had just arrived at the Bomb Shed, ready to start the day. "Another day, another dollar." He said as he approached the cup filled with coffee, prepared by the resident bartender, coffee connoisseur, Arthur 'Art' Delgato. He took it with his tail and moved the cup close to his face. He sniffed it and took a sip. A smile crept across his face as he proceeded deeper in the building.

"Good morning, Art. Just the way I like it."

"Morning boss." The arctic wolf replied, not looking as he busied himself with cleaning.

John entered into kitchen. Buster had just come inside from the back door. The sound of the door had opened once more, revealing to big pointy ears. His face was obscured by the kitchen utilities fixed in the center of the kitchen, but he knew who it was. Finnick had come and assisted Buster. He is small, but he sure got strength.

"Morning Boss, new shipment just arrived." Buster called out.

"Morning Buster." He took a sip on the coffee he held with his tail. "Morning, Finnick."

"Hey, I'ma head out, ayt. Still need to pick up the other shipments." Finnick replied.

"Mhmm…" John replied as he continued his way downstairs to see Zootopia's resident crocodile.

The crocodile noticed the serpent crawl through the stairs. He immediately waved his hand. "Hey Johnny!"

"Rusty." The snake greeted. It seems everything is in order. It always felt good to start the day like this, to meet and greet the employees that support the existence of this establishment.

As he crawled back up the stairs, he was greeted by the familiar sight of a pig heading downstairs to the basement. "Hey John."

"Sir." John replied back, giving the pig a somewhat lazy salute. Just as he left, he immediately stopped. What just happened, he thought. He wasted no time going back down the stairs to see the pig casually conversing with the croc. "Uh… why are you still here?"

The pig looked to the stairs where the python was. "Undercover work. The guys at precinct 7 will be suspicious if they think I don't follow up on you."

John and Rusty both looked at the pig and gave curious looks. "You're… a… field agent… now?" Rusty asked.

"Well… technically yes and no. Also, I've been tasked to command a new unit, the 4th Internal Security Group."

John gave him a curious look. "And let me guess, we're supposed to follow you?"

"Well, naturally. Apparently, higher-ups needs some personnel over here due to the increasing number of suspicious activities that are within the Air Force's jurisdiction." Hammy replied. "Strangely enough, our first assignment is in Zoo York, if you know what I mean."

 _Zoo York?_ John was puzzled by this. "What DO you mean Zoo York?"

Hammy looked at the crocodile. "You should tell him?"

"Tell me what, Rusty?"

"John, ATSB is reopening the investigation of the crash." Rusty explained.

* * *

A deer lay flat on one of the busy streets of downtown. He had doused off and probably would not be the center of attention… if not for the fact that he was naked.

Judy looked a bit from afar, while Officer Wolford interviewed the deer. Somehow, she still had issue with naked animals. Perhaps that visit at the Mystic Spring really had an effect on her.

 _Pull yourself together, Judy._ She tells herself quietly. The past two weeks had been quite rough on her. For starters, Bellwether's sentencing has been delayed far long enough.

 _Judy._

There's also a matter of John Wrangler. She was sure Wrangler was behind the Bank of Zootopia heist, but with nothing stolen and the files handed over to precinct 7, the case was pretty much a done deal.

 _Judy?_

But perhaps what got to her the most was that her partner, Nick Wilde, almost died, and she felt very responsible for it. Many scenarios circulated in her head on what could have been if she'd been more careful, if she'd made the turn.

"Judy."

The sound of her name snapped her back to reality. She saw Officer Wolford gave her a worried stare.

"Sorry, Wolfard. I guess I got a lot on my mind right now. Have you Id the vic?"

"John Doe." Wolford replied.

Judy raised a brow. "Is that a joke? Does he have amnesia or something?"

Wolford then gave Judy a calling card. It was the same calling card the deer gave him. On the card, spelled the name of the deer: John Doe.

"I stand corrected." Judy replied.

"Apparently, John here had too much to drink. Somehow found his way here all the way from that naturalist club in Sahara." Wolfard explained.

John. Too many John's in this city. This deer's name is John, His neighbor's name is John, even Nick's father was one, if she remembered. She stopped her imaginary ramblings to get back to the topic. "Ok. I guess we've got what we need to file a report. Suppose it's time to head back." Said Judy. Wolfard went for the driver's seat while Judy took the front passenger seat.

As they began to leave, Wolford thought of starting a conversation with the bunny. "I heard Nick's back."

"Yeah." Judy said almost blankly.

"Yeah?" Wolfard asked. "Was I wrong to expect a feeling of elation? Are you sure nothing's bothering you?" Wolford asked.

"No. Everything's peachy." She replied.

Wolfard could feel that the bunny did not wish to continue the topic, but he had an idea of what was bothering her. It was time to play his hunches. "You're still upset over the bank heist, aren't you?"

"I was so close, Wolfard! I had that snake and he got away! And…" Judy stopped as she was reminded of the secret recording. She soon stopped as her features changed from a look of anger to that of sorrow. "Am I a good cop, Wolford?"

"Of course you are. You and Nick, are the best rookies this precinct has had in ages-"

"Then why do I feel like I've let a lot of animals down?" Judy asked, her head still hung low. "I feel weak."

"Judy, we make mistakes. It happens, even to the best of us."

"My mistake got the suspect away and nearly cost the life of my partner!" She raised her voice on the wolf.

"Judy, you're looking at this the wrong way. Why did you join the ZPD?" Wolfard asked.

Judy tried to remember the earliest thoughts of what made her so in awe of being a cop, she chuckled at the memory of that play she dressed up as a cop when she was still nine. "I wanted to be a cop. It was my dream since I was a kid. I guess Zootopia's finest had a ring to, and I wanted to be part of it." She explained.

"And that's just it, Judy." Wolfard declared.

"I beg your pardon?" Judy asked.

"That's just it." Wolford caught Judy looking at him intently. She was curious on what the wolf had to say. "What makes the ZPD so great isn't because you're good or I'm good or the chief is amazing. It's that when we put our heads together…" He said with conviction and pride. "When we put our heads together, we can accomplish anything. Don't take failures personally. Learn from them, and then move on. Don't burden yourself. We're your second family, the ZPD family. Know that you have a shoulder to lean on when you're down."

Judy still felt down, but she made an effort to smile at the wolf. "Thanks Wolfard. I guess I feel better now. Even if just a bit."

"Don't mention it." Wolford grinned. "Nick did say you bunnies are so emotional."

She punched him on the shoulder, making Wolford wince. "Wolford! Sheesh, I was just getting to like you."

Their police vehicle continued on, the police HQ now within sight.

* * *

A red van was strolling through the streets of Tundratown. A fennec fox was slowly driving the streets accompanying his new employer and his wolves at the back.

"Can you move faster? This place really gives me the creeps." Buster stated anxiously, his experience of his captivity from the shrew's polar bears still fresh in his mind.

"Don't you worry, big guy. We ain't going anywhere near that shrew."

Art put a paw on his back in an attempt to soothe him. "Just speed up." He replied.

"Yeah. Sure sure." Finnick replied.

Finnick finally dropped the two wolves off at Otto's, a van and light truck dealership. Just before they made their way, John lowered the passenger window. "Better come back with something good. And if possible, tell them if they have a red finish. I think red is a good color."

"Got it, boss." The two wolves replied.

"Good. Now get goin'." And with that, Finnick drove the van away, leaving the two wolves.

"Say, Johnny? Can I call you that?" Finnick asked wanting to break the quite in the van.

"Sure, just don't get used to it on the count I still like those two guys to call me boss." He replied, referring to Art and Buster.

"Noted. Anyways, you know that ham from… Special Missions, was it?"

The python looked at him. "Yeah?"

"So you a secret agent or something?" Finnick asked.

"We're more like a military unit. You know, like the Navy Seals. We're not like that other Federal law enforcement. (wink wink ;))"

"So you're a soldier. You shoot animals? It's just I don't get it. What do you guys do exactly?"

"Oh we shoot animals alright." John answered. "We shoot'em down from the sky. Those were the days. Back when Rusty and I were active, we did some assorted list of crazy missions. You know, secret bombing runs, weapons testing, recon missions, SEAD missions, a bit of spec ops here and there, but mostly the first four. We were supposed to be deactivated until recently apparently."

"And all that flying around excites you or something?"

"Believe me. Wanna get an adrenalin rush? Fly a SEAD mission." He replied.

 _Mudspike 1 o'clock._

 _This one's in range. Music on._

…

Ten years ago…

A flight of two aircraft fly behind enemy lines on a SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air-Defense) mission. The flight were piloted by John and Rob, with Rusty acting as John's RIO or radar intercept officer, while Tom acted as Rob's RIO. Special Missions was tasked to elimate radar installations that provided anti-access aerial denial operations over Zoolawi, a failed state already on its fifteenth year located far away from Zootopia. It was the usual story. A failed coup with rebel factions seizing control of military assets on their respective territory, and the ZAF getting sent in as a request by the ambassador of the ailing government. And the ZAF has been here since, for more than ten years and the conflict still rages on.

"Music on, Viper 1-2." Rob radioed.

"Spike. 1 o'clock. Radar. Barracuda Missile system." Rusty radioed. John noted it, indicating the Ba abbreviation within the diamond of his radar warning receiver. The BMS was an effective aircraft killer that compared similarly to the Air Force's very own Carat Missile System or CMS. They were powerful and far-reaching and getting spiked by one is the equivalent of a death wish.

"Gentlemen, now or never." John radioed.

"Roger." Rusty replied. Being the radar intercept officer, he set the weapon systems to A/G (Air to Ground) and prepared an anti-radiation missile for launch. "ALARM is armed." He then presses the trigger. From within the cockpit, a release mechanism was heard followed by an audible launch of rocket propellant. "Viper 1-1, Magnum."

The second aircraft followed up with a launch of their own anti-radiation missile. "Viper 1-2, Magnum." Tom radioed.

"Good. Let's bug out before they light us up." John replied.

But as both aircraft turned 180, John's RWR chirped periodically, showing a diamond blinking among the several circles. The diamond, indicating primary threat, had just launch. It did not take long for the diamond on the RWR to blink followed by a continuous sound cue.

Something bad was coming there way.

"SAM launch! Two o'clock!" Rusty yelled. John immediately made tight turns in an attempt to break the lock.

…

 _Defending!_

John just stared beyond the windshield after recalling the events of a flashback in his mind's eye. "Yeah… Too crazy…"

"Well… I can't imagine… but I'll take your word for it." Finnick replied as he made a turn to another street. "I'm surprised you've told me though. I could've sworn these things were confidential." He slowed down just as he approached a red traffic light.

"Well you're not a foreign spy, are you?" John joked. "I have great confidence in the company I keep. Those two furballs, I've already told them. I know it seems counter-intuitive, but having a set of animals I can trust can be the difference between life and death."

"Wouldn't that make me-"

"Yes, Finnick. You were in my inner circle the moment I hired you. And being the new guy, know that if I find out that you cross me…"

Finnick looked at the snake, who reciprocated it with his own stare. In that moment, Finnick felt a hint of uneasiness as the python with his slit eyes seemed to stare right through him, as if he could see his soul. What did he get himself into, he thought. He had not felt fear in a long time.

"The light's green." The python replied.

Finnick snapped out of his trance and looked beyond the windshield to see that the traffic light had indeed turned green. "Right." He said softly as they crossed the intersection.

* * *

Nick had heard that Judy had just returned from patrol, and so, had set out to search for her. Initially, he went to the office cubicles at first, but was only met by other officer, Francine had just returned from duty and had only seen him just today. She greeted him, and joked about his injuries as well. "What's the matter, Wilde? You stepped on a grape?" Her trunk was pointing toward the splint on the pinky toe of Nick's right foot.

"Har har, Francine. I'm just following doctor's orders." Nick explained. "Say? Any idea where my Carrots is?"

"I left her at the cafeteria. I think you need to talk to her, though. She's been a bit off as of late." Wolford replied.

"Noted and thanks."

"Oh, and Nick?"

Nick looked back at Wolford, who called him by his name. "It's good to see you back."

Nick smiled. "It's great to be back, Wolford."

After the brief exchange, he proceeded his way toward the cafeteria. Sure enough, he did find the grey bunny at one of the cafeteria tables. It was an odd sensation though. Carrots never seemed to be the one to take breaks. It was adorable though. He found her munching on a carrot cake… with great difficulty. Of course, being in the cafeteria more than Judy, he knew that the carrot cake offered at the precinct was horrible, even by his standards.

"I did warn ya', Carrots." He said.

Judy looked to see that Nick had taken a seat on the opposite side of the table. She realized he must have been talking about the cake.

"Ugh…" She replied. "Just take it. I can't finish it."

Nick was more than happy to oblige. He took the cake from her and started munching on the dessert. "So I bumped in to Wolford, just a while ago. Said you're still upset over what happened about two weeks ago."

"A little." She said. "Wolford, really helped me put things in perspective though, but I still can't get over it."

"Look, Juds. Remember, what I told you before? That I had this… gut feeling that Johnny was hiding something."

"Yeah?"

"Well… I think he is hiding something, but I never saw any malice in his eyes." He replied.

"What was his eyes telling you then?" She asked.

"I don't know, but he seemed like some animal who wants to fix something."

Judy raised a brow. "You got that just by looking through the eyes?"

"The eyes are the doors to the soul, Carrots. And maybe John Wrangler is innocent even when the evidence are stacked against him." Nick then looked at her eyes, making sure that she sees his eyes. "Look through my eyes, Carrots. What do you see?"

Judy looked at Nick's eyes, those emerald green eyes. More importantly, she saw a hint of compassion in those eyes… a look of concern. "You're worried about me." She replied.

"That I am, Carrots." He replied. "Look, I don't know what that snake did to you, but you want to get even for some reason. Something you're not telling me?" He said with concern.

"Wha- me?"

"I can see it in your eyes, Carrots. You're hiding something from me. Because right now… you've got those same eyes as John Wrangler had."

Judy realized what he had done. In letting her look through his eyes, she had inadvertently let him look through her. And somehow, the brief exchange they had, had revealed a lot without the utterance of even a single word. Judy admitted it, he was right. "You know that interrogation we did on Duke?" The red fox nodded. "He has a recording of it. Apparently, it implicates our relationship with the mafia."

"Mr. Big?"

Judy nodded.

Nick started to laugh almost after he heard that, giving Judy a look of confusion. "That all?" Nick asked.

"Nick! This is serious. I… really love my job, but to lose sight of my principles."

The sudden realization hit Nick on Judy's intentions. "You want to frame him."

Judy lowered her head and nodded. "Just ideas, nothing concrete yet though."

"I gotta admit, Judy. As some animal who looks up to you, I can't help but express my disappointment. If word got out of your intentions, all the good will you'd have earned would be for naught."

She drooped her ears and lowered her head even lower. It was shameful enough that Nick was to lecturing her, but Nick was right. How could she have been so foolish to even consider such a thing? "I feel… really bad now."

Nick did his best to give her the most comforting hug. "Don't be. You're not perfect, Judy."

"It's not fair." Judy just answered. "How do you know the right words to say?"

"Judy, I may not be your neighbor, but I'm your partner and I-"

"Say that again?" Judy interrupted.

Nick, not sure where this was going at or if she was just trying to avoid the issue, complied and repeated his message. "I may not be your neighbor, but-"

"Neighbors…" Judy murmured. "I've been looking at this the wrong way."

"Carrots, what are you getting at?"

Judy looked at him and smiled. "I think I just got an idea."

* * *

It was secretly a field trip in the guise of a business trip. The two wolves enjoyed these kinds of trips as it was a great change from just staying in the bar doing the usual. Once the business was done, they get to spend the rest of the day to themselves, and still get paid for a full day's work in the end. Art and Buster walked inside Otto's and looked around for a vehicle to replace the truck that had been incinerated during the bank heist. The insurance company gave them a check just a few days ago and John immediately deposited it to the business' account. John entrusted Art the credit card that will be used to pay for the new wheels. It was not the first time he held the company credit card, but it sends him chills down his spine every time he holds it. So much money and power in his fingertips.

"We should totally eat somewhere a little more up-scale." Buster suggested.

Art usually was a little more responsible of the two of them, but then again, eating at Misty's can get a little tiresome. "I guess Johnny wouldn't mind." Art looked around at the assorted number of vehicles for display. "We better start looking. Maybe we can get an early dinner after we're done."

"What can I do for you, gentlewolves?"

Art and Buster looked at the moose. There was a name tag clipped on his collared shirt with the words, "Hello, my name is: MORRIS BUCK"

"Uh… yeah. We're looking to buy a light commercial vehicle. Slide open doors at the middle and double doors at the back. That kind." Art replied.

"Of course, come this way. I'll show you the models we have." The moose proceeded to go to vans and LCV section of the store, the two wolves following behind.

* * *

"Just stop right here." John replied as Finnick stopped his red van just outside his apartment. John immediately got out the vehicle. "I'll see you around, I guess."

"Yeah… see ya' around, Johnny." Finnick replied, driving away from the snake to wherever he was to go next.

John made his way to the front door of the apartment and was met by the landlord, who was watering the plants on the front of the building. "Well this is a surprise. I don't usually see you at this hour, Mr. Wrangler." The female otter replied.

"Well, it's always a pleasure to see you any time of the day, Mrs. Rhonson." The python replied.

"Oh, stop sweet-talking me, John. You're making me blush." The otter replied.

"Well, I won't be long, I suppose. I'm going out of town for a few days."

"Well then I wish you a safe trip, dear."

John proceeded to go inside the building and climb the stairs. John was now in front of the door of his home, as he looked through the collection of keys tied to his key chain.

"Mr. Wrangler." A voice called out to him.

John looked to see the bunny officer approach him. "May I have a word with you?"

"Officer Hopps?" John replied. "I wasn't expecting you at this hour."

"Well, this is something that concerns you, I'm afraid." Judy replied.

It was then that John noticed the red fox behind her. He had a bandage over his head and leaned on his cane. John finally found the keys and twisted the key in the keyhole. "If this is about the recordings, then you'd be happy to know that I have no intention of releasing it to the public." John proceeded to go inside his room. "Now, have a good day." He said, closing the door, but was stopped when a rabbit's foot blocked the door from closing. "Oh, don't worry. This isn't about the bank heist, Mr. Wrangler."

"What is this about then?"

"About three weeks ago, Tundratown Limo Service reported a theft on one of their vehicles."

The rabbit now had the python's undivided attention.

"The victim described the assailant as a crocodile. Now we don't have a lot of those here in Zootopia. Reptiles are, afterall, more common in the Everglades down at the south." She explained. "You didn't happen to see a crocodile in your neighborhood, let alone know one, do you?"

"Ms. Hopps, you live right next to me. Surely, you would've noticed if I was in touch with a crocodile." Answered John.

"But I'm not exactly here to watch all the time." Judy replied.

"Well that's a shame now, isn't it." John replied.

"True." Judy replied, confidence still in her voice. "Since I can't be here all the time, I decided to talk to… someone here instead. I've talked to the Beaverlies' children and what they told me was interesting."

If the python could not tell the bunny was on to her before, he could definitely feel it now. Good thing snakes don't sweat because he would be caught sweating.

"From their room at the third floor, the Beaverly kids told me that two weeks before, that's four days prior the bank heist by the way, that you along with a white wolf assisted in the transportation of a crocodile in a red vehicle. Apparently, you put him in the trunk."

"You will take the words of mere children as truth?" John asked.

This time, it was Nick's turn to speak. "Sir, I'll have you know that children eye witness testimonies have proven to be far more accurate, unbiased than those of adults."

"It's still their word against mine."

"Then tell us that we won't see a crocodile when we visit you're little establishment in Sahara Square. Need I remind you, that aiding a fugitive is a criminal offense." Judy feistily replied. She looked through his eyes and saw that same look when she had hustled Nick, that look of surprise… and of dread.

 _Gotcha_ , she thought to herself.

"I…" was all John could say. There was no denying. He was cornered. John lowered his head made a deep and audible sigh. "What do you want? A confession?" He asked. It would seem that giving in to their demands would be the only way to appease them, if it meant turning himself in.

"Like I said, Mr. Wrangler. I'm already over that. I do want all the copies of your recordings of our conversation with Duke Weaselton."

"I… I don't understand." John was confused now. "I already told you, I'm not interested in publicizing the recordings."

"It's not about that." Judy replied. "I'm a police officer, Mr. Wrangler. It's my duty to uphold the rule of law and to be the best I can be and I… I wasn't the best that I was and I took the easy way out." Judy looked at Nick who seemed to encourage her. "All my life, I wanted to be a police officer. Therefore, I'm willing to pick myself up. I'm willing to redeem myself and it starts with getting it fair and square." Judy looked back at the python, who seemed to be a bit lost to what was going on. "I don't think you're a bad animal, Mr. Wrangler. I try to think of explanations, motives, alibis, I really don't know why you did what you did, but nothing was taken."

John tilted his head in curiosity. "You really are something, Ms. Hopps." He moved back inside to retrieve a small flash drive. "This is my only copy. So I suppose we're even?"

"Yes. You can say that." John handed over the flashdrive while Judy gave her the police file containing the Beaverly kids' testimony. John could not help but notice Nick's injury. "You stepped on a grape or something?"

Judy just laughed. Nick just rolled his eyes. "Seriously, that's like third time today."

"Ms. Hopps." John called out as he held the police file with his tail. "I don't think giving me this file is redeeming quality."

Judy chuckled. "Oh that. The case was already closed about two weeks ago. Apparently, the vic's employer, Mr. Big, had advised the animal to not pursue charges. You didn't have anything to do with this, did you?"

"Uh… no." John instinctively replied. A realization then occurred to him. "Wait a minute, if the case was already closed, then all this time, you never really had anything on me."

"Yup. And thanks for the recordings."

John's eyes narrowed on the bunny. "Has anyone ever told you that you are a sly bunny?"

"All the time, Mr. Wrangler. All the time. I suppose we're done. Have a nice day." The two officers leave the premises grinning, leaving the snake by himself on his front door.

John just looked at the two parting officers. "How am I gonna explain this to Hammy?"

SNAKE IN THE BIG CITY

A/N: So a brief announcement. For my Filipino readers, I know how frustrating it can be that disneyph doesn't have Zootopia merch at all… so far. So for those who can't find a way to buy in the US, I have taken it in my free time to sell limited quantities of Zootopia merch. I've made my orders and some are on the way and will arrive by May while the rest are due in June. You can PM me if you are interested to know what I'm selling. This is all for now. I understand this place isn't the right venue for commercial activities.


	7. Chapter 7: Snake in Deerbrk,Bunnyburrow

A/N: Apologies for the rather long wait. I was on a vacation… in Europe… for 3 weeks. Apparently, Europe is expensive. The cheapest restaurant is expensive by our standards. Water isn't free and some places require you to eat to use the toilet. But when it comes to expense, Paris is the worse offender. So expensive, but seeing the Eiffel Tower was like magic.

So this is interesting, I've been looking at the Zootopia wikia and, apparently, there's a debate as to the identity of Delgato and Fangmeyer. Some are now saying Fangmeyer is a tiger and Delgato is a the white wolf, while others are saying Fangmeyer is a white wolf while Delgato is a tiger. The reason for this is that, at least from what I've read, the writers of the movie identified the white wolf as Fangmeyer, but a zootopia game identified the tiger as Fangmeyer. Honestly, wut? As someone who just identified the white wolf as Fangmeyer after using Delgato, I think the best course of action is to stay the present course. I really do not like flip-flopping.

Anyway, this may be my most… musical chapter on the account I put some lines of songs here. What can I say? Zootopia's got real world music. Who could forget that All by myself insert?

Again, this may also be one of my most transition-heavy chapters, so just a disclaimer here. Decided to change the format of this particular chapter. No Previously for this chapter.

Summary: John and company race against time to find an old friend before he is eliminated by an assassin.

Five years ago…

Nick was walking with his partner, Finnick. They just finished a con. Finnick was eager to get out of his outfit. He never liked dressing as a baby elephant, but the money was good, and so he swallowed his pride for that. They were walking on a fairly crowded sidewalk.

"Well partner, I'd say we did an excellent job. I haven't held this much bucks in a long time." Nick replied rather coolly as he counted the dough they had just earned.

"Well it's all in the looks, Nick. And you did tell me you'd treat me out for lunch if I made myself extra cute." Finnick answered.

"What was that?" Nick asked.

"Nick, don't you dare back out on me." Finnick declared, almost low-growling.

"Alright, alright. I heard ya' Fin. Lunch is on me." Nick replied.

"Good. That's what I heard." Finnick replied.

Just as they were walking, they were about to pass a TV store, the front TV's turned on, apparently showing the news. The audio from the TVs was getting louder every moment they stepped closer.

" _… military aircraft crashed yesterday night less than an hour after take-off from the air base in Zoo York…_ "

"That's unfortunate." Nick replied.

"Yeah, I'd be devastated if I knew someone on that plane. Those poor souls." Finnick replied.

"Yeah well, are we gonna eat?" Nick asked rather uncaringly. "You're not the only one starving." He began walking away.

"Hey! Wait up." Finnick replied as he trailed the red fox.

 _"… ATC officials say that they lost contact before the plane disappeared from radar. They also noted that weather could be a key factor as to why the plane crashed…_ "

* * *

 _"… the aircraft was a weather plane belonging to the Zootopian Air Force. The cause of the crash is still unknown, although ATSB officials are already on the scene…_ "

Judy Hopps was watching television with some of her brothers and sisters. She had just graduated highschool and was on her way to become a freshman at the local college.

" _… I cannot comment on an on-going investigation, but rest assured we will be steadfast and resolute in our efforts to find out what went wrong…_ " The giraffe read her statement to the press conference.

Just then, Stu Hopps comes in the living room. "Hey, Jude the dude. Any chance you've seen Elizabe-" Stu looked at the TV and his face immediately turned to that of shock. He immediately grabbed the remote and changed the channel to cartoons.

"Dad! I was watching that!" Judy said in discontent.

"Sorry, Judith. But you know you can't watch anything violent with the little ones." Stu explained.

"Bu…"

"No buts, little missy. Watch something more child friendly, like this cartoon show, right here." Stu said.

Judy sighed "Fine."

* * *

" _… Air Force officials identified the crew of the flight to be the pilots John Taggert and Robin Hyde, and the support crew Rusty McJaw and Thomas Belvedeer.…_ "

"John Taggert?" A cape buffalo stood up from his desk as he approached the CRT TV on the other end of the room. He tried to get a closer look as the pictures of the victims were shown in the screen.

The cape buffalo frowned as he realized that it was the first time he's seen his face in decades, except now he was just a photo in the TV and a memory in his head.

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

" _… according to officials, it was most likely that the crew did not survive. Local authorities are now searching for the remains as well as the black boxes…_ "

* * *

Present Day… Outskirts of Zootopia…

"Dancing in the moonlight! Everybody's feeling warm and bright! It's such a fine and natural sight! Everybody's dancing in the moo-"

"Guys! I'm making a phone call!" Hammy yelled to the other two passengers, a python at his right side and a crocodile at the backseat. Both we're singing along with the radio from one the old decades classics by Tophowlers. The music went on without lending their voices.

"Who's are contact, Hammy?" John asked.

"I believe you already met her."

John's head slightly rose up. "Oh. Her." He knew of only one 'her' in the ATSB. "Well tell 'her' to send my regards."

"You can tell 'her' yourself. I'm on speaker phone."

* * *

Accidents, Transportation and Safety Branch, Zoo York

It was morning when Margaret Rothschild, a female giraffe, entered the building, world-renowned for their investigative prowess in air accidents. The building was not particularly known to be friendly to tall mammals such as her as she made her way to the fire-exit. The elevator had a height and weight requirement that prevented her from using it. As a result, she had requested an office at the lower floors, which was approved by the grace of her superiors. She made her way to the third floor, which was ideal for her. It low enough not to strain her from walking, near enough from the caferia, and high enough to see the city's central park just nearby. And so, she went into her office, with the door modified to accommodate her long neck.

But really, the giraffe looked forward for a quiet day in the office. Not much investigating to do today, but that's supposed to be a good thing. She checked her laptop and opened her furbook account. "No new notifications apparently." She said to herself. She pushed her custom-built executive chair away from her table and began spinning round and round. "No work and no play, makes this giraffe a dul… giraffe."

Of course, she was expecting one thing today, and as it turns out, the phone rang. She immediately stopped her playful spinning and picked up her phone. "Domestic Division. Rothschild speaking." She answered.

A smile then crept on her face. "I was wondering when you'd call…"

* * *

"… _Almost thought this was going above your head_."

"I'm on speaker, Mag. Currently driving."

" _More like dancing in the moonlight._ "

Hammy looked at John and Rusty in an annoyed way. He motioned his hand in a slicing motion in front of his neck. John got the message and toned the radio volume down. "I'm with John Taggert and Rusty McJaw. I'm sure you're acquainted with these two."

"Hi Mag." Both passengers answered.

" _If it isn't Johnny Taggert and Rustard the Mustard. Back from the dead, aren't we gentlereptiles?_ "

John gave Rusty a look. "Rustard the Mustard?"

"Don't ask." Rusty replied as he immediately changed the topic. "What's the situation there, Mel?"

" _Other than the basics, nothing new_. _Hold on, let me check the computer._ "

They just passed a sign saying to take the next exit to Deerbrooke.

Chapter 7: Snake in Deerbrooke

" _Your case is, unfortunately, not being handled by me this time. Lucky for you, I know the guy who's handling the investigation. I can pull some favors._ "

"What will we do without Mel?"

" _Jail probably. Considering the trick we pulled off. Conspiracy charges aren't to be taken lightly._ "

There was a moment of silence in the air before Hammy answered the phone once more. "Do keep us updated. Appreciate it."

" _Don't mention it._ " The phone then hung up.

Rusty just watched behind the car looking through the window. They had past Zootopia's city limits about three hours ago and note the change in scenery from heavy urbanized to rural country. Farmland patterned after a multi-colored checkered sweater, he described and wished that he could go out more. Now that he thought about it, this was the first time he'd been out since that incident with Mr. Big. "Hey, John?"

"What is it?" John answered, breaking the conversation he was having with Hammy.

"You said Mr. Big was no longer pursuing charges, right? So I'm technically free to go outside?"

The two at the front of the vehicle exchanged glances before John could make a reply. "Technically, but maybe you should wear a disguise. You're the only crocodile in this city after all."

"And what makes you special? You're the only python in this part of town too."

"You should see me in the train. Animals barely notice me at all. I'm just a talking stick to them. You, on the other claw, are huge." He replied with emphasis on the last word.

Hammy just laughed at the statement. "Rusty, Taggert just called you fat."

"Whatever." Rusty browsed back to his phone and looked at the GPS app. "Make a right-turn down this intersection."

"Right-turn, comin' right up." Hammy replied as he made the turn to another long road.

"This should take us straight through." Rusty added.

John looked at the time on the car console. "We're making good time. Hopefully we'll be there by lunch."

"Well actually." Hammy interrupted. "I am a little hungry."

They soon pass the Welcome sign to Deerbrooke.

…

After a drive of 10 to 15 minutes, they manage to find a diner in the main road. Hammy parked and they soon made their way inside. John told Hammy their order while he went to find a table for them.

Going to the diner would have been uneventful, if not for the fact that everyone inside was staring at the rather large croc inside the establishment. Of course, the diner was not packed yet so it is not exactly saying much. Rusty paid no attention to it. He knew that the townsanimals of Deerbrooke were conservative folk. Tom explained to him before on his last visit. He even had to apologize to him for the behavior of his kind. The cashier who looked at the customer before him seemed to be no different, giving the crocodile a rather odd stare. He was chewing his gum, probably a teenage on a part-time job.

"Green guy with you?" The cashier, a deer, asked.

"Yes." Hammy replied. "We just want to take our order."

Luckily, the cashier was not too conservative a folk. "Whatever." The cashier replied. "Can I take your order?"

John found a table right next to the window. He reached out his phone from the bag he carries.

Snakes, being lacking of appendage, usually carry a shoulder bag with them. Of course, snakes, not having shoulders and all, have to wear an additional accessory, a strap around the neck with an inverted hook on the side to carry such bags.

The python used his tail to dial a number on the touchscreen device before pressing the call button.

"That will be fifteen bucks." The deer replied.

Hammy reached out for his wallet. "By the way, you and John owe me later." He then looked at the cashier. "Here you go. Say? Can we ask you something? Wouldn't take a minute of your time."

The deer continued to chew his gum before opening his mouth. "Ask away."

John waited longer than usual for the animal on the other side to answer the phone, which was odd since he was usually attentive about his phone. The call was eventually answered.

" _Hey Boss!_ " The other voice replied frantically. " _Enjoying the countryside?_ "

"I haven't been gone for a few hours, Art." John replied. "Yeah, everything's good here so far. You? How're you holding up?"

" _Oh good! Me and Buster are doing good! The store is good! Finnick is doing his thing._ " Art's frantic voice responded.

"You okay? You sound… tense?"

" _Tense? I'm not tense! I'm just excited. Ha ha. Good one, boss!_ "

"How's the vehicle?"

" _Good. Nice and red, just like you said._ "

"Well it's good I left the bar in capable paws."

" _Yeah… capable._ " The voice replied nervously.

John then saw Hammy and Rusty approach him. "Gotta go. Gonna have lunch."

Hammy and Rusty were now near the table, but something was off. The food they ordered were bagged and their faces were tense. "Is there a problem?"

"John." Rusty started. "We have to go."

* * *

"So we asked the cashier at the diner if they knew Jacob Deerham." Hammy started.

"Tom's cover?" John asked.

"Exactly." Hammy replied.

"Okay." John replied. "I thought Rusty knew where he lived?"

"We wanted to know where we could find him at this hour." Rusty explained. "Unfortunately, he's been gone for a few days. Apparently, some animal came earlier looking for our guy. Cashier couldn't get a good look at him considering he was wearing a hoodie, but he did carry a guitar case. As for what type of animal he is, he's a-"

"The Jackal." Hammy finished, cutting Rusty off.

"The Jackal?" John asked.

"Yes. An assassin. He wreaked havoc in the wake of your absence, but disappeared about a year ago after a drone strike on him was approved. The air force sent a team to search for the remains, but he was never found. They couldn't confirm a kill on the count that we didn't find his body."

John faced the right-side window, but there was a look of resolve on his face. "Well then how's about we welcome him to the faked my own death club?" John answered.

Hammy, Rusty's guidance, sped all the way to Tom's house until they finally arrived, they noticed nothing unusual from outside. That said, they could not be too careful John, Rusty, and Hammy took out their weapons, standard issue pistols given by the air force.

"How's your aim, John?" Rusty asked.

"Still rusty like you." John answered. "Getting a bit better, but yeah, it's seen better days."

"Well, I'm a bit out of practice actually." Rusty replied.

"At least, we got Hammy." John replied.

"Well, we don't exactly receive the same kind of training as you guys." Hammy replied softly.

"Oh great. Just great." John replied.

They got out of the car and slowly approached the lawn of the house. As they came closer, they noticed nothing out of the ordinary. That was until they arrived at the front door, to which they found the door unlocked. While the outside was fine, inside, however, was a different story. Thankfully, the open door did not encourage looting on this rather safe neighborhood as the inside was still in order. They spread out to sweep the area until they were sure that the entire place was clear. John was the first to go back the living room. He took a brief moment to look around and observe his surroundings. He could see the rather simple living space the deer was trying to do. With a small flat screen TV, no cable box, potted plants on the corners, white walls and natural lighting. The deer did not hold a lot in his possession considering the amount of things he had seen so far in his home was rather sparse. Then a picture on the desk had caught his eye, the frame was facing down the table. John carefully lifted the frame. It was a picture of two deers, one was Tom, while the other was a female. The female was behind him as she put her arms over his shoulders and her hooves resting on his chest. Her head was on the same level as him as they smiled sweetly at the camera in front of them.

"Find anything?" Hammy asked, returning back to the living room.

"Looks like our cancer patient really did change for the better." John replied as he held a picture and offered it to Hammy. "You guys never told me he's married. That makes this complicated." Hammy grabbed the picture to look at it while John made his way to the kitchen.

"Our bad. It didn't seem important back then." Hammy explained.

Rusty returned back to the living room. "All clear." Rusty said.

Hammy just sat at the sofa. "If what the guy at the diner said is true, then whoever did this is long gone."

"Well… we don't even know if this guy's captured him or if he's…" Rusty replied but stopped mid-sentence. They did not wish to think their long time fellow brother-in-arms is dead. "We need to search for clues."

"Already found one."

They both look at John as he held a calendar. "Isn't today the 18th? Look what's on the 18th." They all look at the calendar. There was an event that spanned three days, and it was still on-going. Written on it, Bunnyburrow Farmer's Fair.

Chapter 7: Snake in (Deerbrooke) Bunnyburrow

Hammy was speeding through the freeway that led to Bunnyburrow. His foot on the pedal, going over 100. Good thing they were the only cars on the road, which, unfortunately, says something about trade between these two towns.

"Hey, Art. Looks like I'm gonna be gone for a little while longer. Unfortunately, something happened."

" _That's good!_ " The other side exclaimed.

"I beg your pardon?" John asked.

" _I mean… that's terrible!_ " Art answered.

"I know. But we'll try to wrap things up soon alright."

" _Please! Please! Just take your time. No need to rush._ "

John hung up on the phone as he looked on the horizon before them. "That was weird." They passed by a traffic sign with a 60 in it. "I hope you saw that." John asked as he looked at the speedometer showing above 100.

"I did." Hammy replied discretely, his eyes focused on the road. He suddenly heard the sound of a click.

John had apparently taken to his seatbelt. "Better safe than sorry."

"Well Bunnyburrow isn't too far. We'll be there in no time." Rusty replied as he pointed out the window. The car passed over a hill, with the town of Bunnyburrow over the horizon.

* * *

The Bunnyburrow Farmer's Fair was a three day monthly affair. It was the time when the towns folk would gather on some patch of clear land, build their stalls and sell their produce, fresh from the fields. Even the children looked forward to this monthly event. The grown-ups would build miniature rides for their children to enjoy so that no one was left out in this event that was meant for all ages.

"Hey mister! Are you a musician?" A rabbit asked while she was licking her lollipop. The little bunny was asking an animal covered in a hoodie. Strapped on his back was a guitar case.

The mammal did not reply. His head was turning as if looking for something… or someone. He then walked away, disappearing from the crowd.

"Weirdo." The rabbit said as she continued to lick her lollipop.

Meanwhile, in another part of the fair…

"Deery, will you look at that." The deer pointed over a stall that was pies. "Gideon Grey's Real Baked Goods Stuff." He read out.

"Oh Jake, that looks so good." She grabbed his arm, which caught him a bit off guard, as he was tugged toward the stall.

The fox, a rather chubby one, noticed the deer couple approach his stall. The fox straightened his posture as he prepared for a courteous greeting. "Howdy. I reckon' you ain't from here."

"Uh… yeah. Just came here for the fest. Isn't that right, Melissa? " Tom replied.

"It's our third day." Melissa replied.

"Third day. Yeah. First time too. Came all the way from Deerbrooke." Jacob answered.

"Deerbrooke, you say? We don't usually get a lot of visitors from your side of the state." Gideon replied.

"I could say the same for Bunnyburrow. Anyway, we're getting off-topic. The missis loves pie and we stumble upon your humble establishment." Jacob replied seeing the baked goods lined up on Gideon's table.

"Would you like to try some? I got me here some free samples. I labelled the flavors so y'all can see."

* * *

"What do you know, Bunnyburrow." Rusty answered as he noticed the number rabbits walking in the area.

Hammy, on the other hand, was on the phone once more. Margaret Rothschild was on, hopefully with more information.

"You're on speaker phone. Got anything new for us?" Hammy answered as he drove the car, now inside the town proper.

" _You bet I do. The guy working on your case. Nice gentlemammal, but he's rookie. Turns out he needed a little bit of help. I didn't even have to ask to be in this case. He came to my door begging for some insight on the account that I investigated your crash a few years ago. So now, I'm part of the investigation._ " Margaret replied.

"So what are the details?"

" _Right. You're gonna love this one, Hammy…_ "

* * *

"Apparently, they reopened the case based on new evidence that's come to light recently. Evidence that's conflicting with the old findings." Margaret was scrolling through his computer screen. "New evidence suggests that the crash was deliberate and not an act of God. Some basic details, the aircraft was an Air Scout II four engine turboprop with callsign Casper 1, a military aircraft assigned for aerial reconnaissance and weather surveillance. Given that, it contained the Far Seer II Doppler radar and the Pantagruel electronic suite. So here's where it starts to get interesting. The new theory suggests the crew, that's you John, Rusty, had the intention to use the onboard electronic suite to spoof the plane's altitude, as well as employ IFF deception. And unfortunately, your little escapade is backed up by radar data."

" _That can't be right._ " John argued. " _Radar only records location vectors. To record altitude, you'd need…_ "

"3D radar, which apparently, was obtained from nearby Maple Hill military radar installation." Margaret answered. There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. "Oh my gosh, did you all just die of a heart attack?"

Hammy finally answered. " _Wait a minute. Those things are usually classified, Mag. Who handed these data to the ATSB?_ " Hammy asked.

"You didn't get the memo?"

" _What memo?_ "

"Oh Hammy, what would you do without me? Anyway, we received a bulletin saying that the Air Force's servers were hacked. Some sensitive stuff was taken…"

* * *

" _Who knows how many are out there, but apparently, this is one of them. Anyway, considering the black boxes were supposedly 'damaged' beyond repair, this changes the narrative_ _…_ _a lot._ "

The car fell silent at the revelation.

" _Still there? You know I can't take a hint._ "

"Thanks for the info, Mag."

" _I'll keep you posted and send you the radar data. Might give you an incentive to check your mail more often, Hamilton. Bye._ "

The phone hung up.

John just looked at Hammy. "This day just keeps getting better and better, don't it?"

* * *

"That was incredible Mr. Grey." The doe replied. "You must tell me why your pies are so delectable?"

The couple had already purchased half a dozen boxes of baked pastries, Jake was holding them together with the boxes stacked.

"No can do, Ma'am. I'm afraid I'll have to kill ya' if I do." The plump fox replied.

The deer couple, not necessarily fearful, looked at the fox with a bit of confusion.

"Just kidding!" The fox blurted out with a laugh. "But what I can tell ya' is that this here pies are a secret family recipe, with fresh produce from the Hopps Family Farm." Gideon looked over a paper bag and smiled. "I see you've been to their stall."

"Sure did. Can't argue with those prices, especially if you could see his farm from here like the bunny said." Jake answered.

"Yup. That sure sounds like Mr. Hopps. Always wants to assure his customers what they're getting are fresh off the farm. Which reminds me." Gideon reached something in his pocket and handed over a piece of paper. "Here's my card. I reckon this won't be the last that we'll see each other."

Jake grabbed the card, seeing the logo of the fox's business. "Please visit our furbook and Zoogle+ page." He read out loud before looking back at the fox to smile. "Sure hope so."

"Well… Jacob. Mel." He shook the hands of his two new customers. "It was a pleasure doing business with ya."

* * *

Hammy stops the car in an inconspicuous location, there was a clear area in the fair's parking grounds that was shaded with trees. They head for the trunk, which stored an colorful assortment of weapons. Hammy and John grabbed a standard issue, while Rusty also went for his standard issue and a single shot rifle with a short-range magnifying scope.

"I wasn't expecting danger exactly. So this is everything I can offer on such short notice." Hammy replied. "Besides, we can't go on a killing spree. Too many witnesses." Hammy then gave John and Rusty hand-held devices. "Radios. Tune in on channel 4."

John used the clip from the radio to attach to his shoulder bag strap while Rusty attached his on his belt.

"Sound check." Hammy radioed.

"Copy." Both reptiles answered.

"Good. We'll split up. Cover more ground. Rusty, find a nest. John and I will blend with the crowd."

* * *

Jacob and Melissa continued their walk around after their visit with Gideon Grey. It was the last day of the fair and they were going to make the most of it. They circled the area once more, but finally, the deer's legs was giving in from the many purchased items they have been carrying.

"Honey? Do you want to take a break? My legs are killing me."

Mel looked at her watch. It was already two in the afternoon, not to mention the sun was shining brightly. "I suppose we can take it slow. Look, there are some seats over there." She motioned her hoof pointing at the hay stacks used as make-shift seats.

The deer felt relief wash all over him as he brought down the items he carried. The cool breeze meant that the place was not as hot as it should have. He wanted to lie down on the stacks of hay until Mel called his attention. "Will you look at that." The doe called out pointing over what appears to be a test your strength booth, the one where you whack a seesaw so a block would hit a bell on top.

"Oh deer."

* * *

" _Rusty here. I'm in position by the empty barn at the south side._ "

"John here. I don't see him or her girl near the stalls on the north end." John radioed in.

" _That's a double roger. What about the perp?_ " Hammy radioed.

"No joy. Can't see any hoodies just yet." John answered.

John made his way through the crowd of bunnies. As a reptile and a predator, he did not get the stares one would usually get from predators, considering the mostly prey folk. In fact, his sleek body made him barely noticeable.

"Mom! Look! A walking stick!" A young lamb yelled out.

Wel… almost unnoticeable.

"Some things don't change apparentl- oophf!" The python stopped mid-sentence as something hit him with a force that forces his head to pivot to the ground.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see you." Answered the female bunny.

"It's alri-" John replied as he slowly rose until he was eye-level with the bunny. Her gray fur, black ear tips, pink nose, slightly orange irises, slender body. "Do I know you?"

"I don't… think so. I don't think we've met."

* * *

Rusty set-up on the second floor of a nearby red barn. The window provided a great vantage point overlooking the fair. With the bipod already in place, he peeked through the scope looking around from place to place.

"Rusty here. No joy so far."

" _I'm going to head to the stalls at the west._ " Hammy replied.

"Roger that." Rusty shifted his rifle once more. This time, something caught his eye. "Wait a minute."

" _What is it?_ " Hammy asked.

Rusty looked at a hooded figure, on his hand, a guitar case. "Guy's I think I just identified the Jackal."

* * *

John noticed something on the shirt of the female bunny. "Is that an aviation pin?"

"Yeah. I'm studying to be a pilot actually. Not today though. I'm helping my parents for the fair."

"And where do you study? There's no airfield here. "

"Not here, but there is just two klicks away from here. It's not that far."

"Ellie!" Somebunny was calling her from afar. "You're father needs help guarding the stall."

"Okay, mom!" Ellie yelled back.

"Ellie." John muttered, reminding him of his wife who also shares the same name. "What a coincidence."

"I beg your pardon?" The rabbit asked.

"Nothing. Ellie, is it? Perhaps you could show me around this… airfield. I'm also a pilot myself."

"Oh… I've never seen an animal such as yourself behind the wheel. No offense, but how would a snake do it?" The rabbit asked.

John chuckled a bit. "I get that a lot. But I am, and I have a license to prove it. Do you want to see it?"

The bunny shook her head. "It's alright. I'll take your word for it. May I know your name?"

"Wrangler… John Wrangler, but you can call me Johnny."

"Alright. Hey, I gotta go. See ya' around, I guess." The bunny soon hopped off to her parent's stall.

John focused himself. He noticed the radio was still on the ground. Using his tail, he slowly picked the device. Apparently, the fall must have caused the dial to turn, switching the channel. He twisted the knob back to channel 4. And just in time.

"… _think I just identified the Jackal_."

John's eyes widened. "Say again?"

" _He's just standing there by the fountain._ " Rusty replied.

"On my way. If he does anything stupid before I get there, I don't care if anyone sees it, just take the shot."

" _Copy._ "

* * *

The Jackal looked around for his target. He looked past the stalls, the rides, but the moment he looked past the barn, he noticed hint of twinkle. A glint. Being a trained assassin, he already knew what it meant. He needed to move fast.

* * *

"Oh no."

" _What is it, Rusty?_ " John asked.

"I think he saw right through me. What's your Whiskey?" Rusty asked looking for John through his scope.

" _I'm almost at the fountain. Westbound._ "

Rusty was able to locate John with his scope, but once he came back to observe his target, he disappeared. "He's gone!"

" _What do you mean he's gone!_ " Hammy radioed.

" _Rusty. Get out. You're compromised._ " John added.

Rusty did not reply as he heard the barn door open.

" _Rusty? Rus-_." Rusty shut off the radio. He needed to think quickly searching at his surroundings for a hiding spot.

* * *

"Rusty? Rusty!" John radioed in once more. Unfortunately, there was no reply from the other end. "I've lost contact with Rusty."

" _I'll back him up. Just focus on finding Tom._ " Hammy replied.

John was frustrated. Rusty could be in danger and he was left alone to do the searching.

Just then, an announcement was heard over the speakers. "Good afternoon ladies and gentlemammals, for those who want to see a spectacular show, we will be having fireworks display at 6 pm to end the three day fair. Thank you."

A thought suddenly formed inside his head. _This could work_ , he thought.

* * *

The sound of pawsteps could be heard from the ladder that led to the second level of the barn. The hooded figure then emerged from the wooden ladder. Initially inspecting his surroundings, he could have sworn someone was here. His scent was still here, but where ever he is, he must have turned tail and ran. The hooded figure removed his hoodie from his head, the face of the jackal now visible. He opened the case that contained a high-powered rifle, 0.50 cal. And being the silent assassin that he is, his weapon was silenced. He figured that if the barn was a good vantage point to spot his target in the fair. He opened his phone to show the photo and the accompanying file of his target, Thomas Belvedeer.

* * *

"Come on, Deer! I know you can do it!" Mel cheered while he watches his struggling husband lift the hammer.

Sure Jake wanted to stay fit, but this is ridiculous. The hammer was just above his head now to the point that he was using his antlers for support. _Here goes nothing_ , he thought. With that, he smacked the miniature seesaw at the ground with great force. The block barely went halfway… a quarter even. Jake just looked at her loving wife, who smiled rather meekly clapping to show support. It was a worthy attempt.

Just then, the sound of static filled the air, followed by a voice."Ladies and gentlemammals, can I have your attention please?"

Jake's ears perked up. "Wait a minute." The deer muttered. "That voice sounds familiar."

"I would like to dedicate this song in honor to members of the 3rd Mountain Wing of the Rockies Region." Almost immediately the voice started to sing. "Boys and girls from far and near you're welcome as can be. M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E."

Almost immediately, Jake stopped the game he was playing and motioned his wife to follow him.

"Honey, what's going on?" The doe asked.

The deer did not answer. He just carefully walked to the where the announcement booth was located.

"We play fair and we work hard and we're in harmony. M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E. Mickey Mouse. Mickey Mouse! Mickey Mouse. Mickey Mouse! Forever let us hold our banner high. High. High. High."

Okay. Now he was sure without doubt who was on the other end of the microphone. Carrying their bags, he soon started running to the announcer's booth. He ran with her wife at his tail, who was still unsure of what was going on. He stopped just in front of the announcement booth, where a familiar serpent was in a confrontation with the bunny managing the booth.

"Sir, this booth is… reserved for events-related… and public service announcements. You can't… just sing just because… you feel like it!" The bunny yelled, trying to keep the microphone away from the serpent. The serpent just coiled around him and around his arm towards the microphone.

"You don't… understand! It is a matter… of life… and death."

"Captain?"

The bunny and the snake look the deer carrying paper bags, her mate following right behind her.

"What is the meaning of this?" The deer asked.

* * *

While there was a commotion going on by the announcement booth, the Jackal had his sights right at the booth with the deer in his scope. His paw was on the trigger when force pushed him to the side. The Jackal pressed on the trigger, releasing the bullet to its target.

* * *

Balloons popped from nearby the booth followed by the sound of ricochet. The sound barely made a fuss amongst the passersby, but it was something the deer and the python were familiar with. It was gunshot, 0.50 cal. to be precise. John unwound himself from the bunny.

"Shots fired. I'm heading back." John radioed. "We have to get to the barn." The python slithered hurryingly.

The deer could only look to her mate, who had a look of confusion and worry on her face. The deer approached her and a light kiss on the cheek. "I'll be right back. Just stay here."

The doe looked down, clearly saddened by what appears to be danger upon his husband. "Just be safe."

"Tom! We have to go." The python yelled, clearly dozens of deersteps away now.

"Jake, who's Tom?"

The deer looked down to his mate as if ashamed. "My name isn't Jacob Deerham. It's Thomas Belvedeer." He sprinted away his wife and made his way toward the serpent, eventually catching up.

"Mickey Mouse? Seriously?" The deer said while sprinting toward the barn.

"What? It's the song you guys were singing when I first saw your wing marching." The python replied.

The deer smiled at the python. "It's good to see you again, Captain."

* * *

Hammy ran as fast as a pig could after hearing from the radio that a shot was just fired. Unfortunately, his legs could only run so fast until he tires himself out.

Hammy panted as he tried to catch his breath. "I need to get out more." He said breathlessly. He then looked around to see that the make-shift parking was just nearby. He put his keys out of his pocket as an idea just struck him.

* * *

Rusty had revealed himself just in time before the perpetrator made the shot, which popped several balloons in a bouquet of balloons. Before the attack, he hid himself perfectly in a stack of hay. Somehow, the perpetrator failed to check his surroundings. After stumbling upon themselves, a fight begins at the barn's second floor. The Jackal got up first and lunged at the croc. The croc, seeing that his opponent rushing towards him, uses his legs to swerve it over the Jackal's leg. The jackal tripped but was able to catch his footing. Rusty was still on the ground as he slowly moved away. He eventually rose to his feet. The jackal, who was facing against him slowly turned around, giving a glimpse of his face. His eyes were trained on him, and yet they were unfocused. There seemed to be tiny circular scars on his face, just below his ears but above his eyes, though the scars seems to have healed with the fur growing back.

"I take it you don't talk much."

The animal just tilted his head as if confused. But his demeanor changed as quickly as it came when he growled and charged at the croc with his claws bared.

Just moments before the swipe, a car had charged in, banging and breaking the doors, the car hits the lone timber support carrying the second floor, causing the floor to collapse, and it's two occupants to collapse and fall off.

It was after this incident that John Taggert and Tom Belvedeer arrived at the scene, seeing the banged up car of Hammy with the said pig on the driver seat and a collapsed roof.

The pig coughed himself, awakening immediately after the impact. John looked over to see the pig in good condition. The pig just smiled. "Safety first." He said out, holding the safety strap that protected him from impact.

"Officer Hamilton." The deer called out. "Wait a minute? Is Rusty here too?"

"Present!" The croc said in a loud voice, slowly emerging from the debris.

John and Hammy were confused. "Where's the Jackal?"

Rusty realized the gravity of the question, hurrying over to look over the debris. John, Hammy and Tom immediately scoured over the debris, but found nothing inside. Even the gun he used, vanished.

"He was here." Rusty said. "He fell with me."

"Well… wherever he is, he's gone." John replied.

"Not everything."

They all looked at Tom, who held with him what appears to be a bullet casing. The goat put it closer to his head to inspect it. "There seems to be some sort of marking on the shell."

"Hold that thought, Tom. We need to get out of here." Hammy answered, noting the slowly increasing volume of townsfolk approaching the barn. The collapse of the second floor was heard all throughout the fair to catch the curiosity of the visitors and townsfolk.

* * *

In a motel somewhere in Bunnyburrow, the Jackal emerged, limping his way to a room that he had reserved for the night. He had barely escaped, managing to maze his way to the rubble, collect his things and disappear before they realized he was gone. The place had become too hot and he needed to leave immediately. He began to pack what little things he had. Just then, his phone buzzed. He picked up the phone and saw a new message. Apparently, whoever sent the message was up-to-date with the events that had just transpired, calling off the hit on Tom Belvedeer. Instead, a new target was given to him, followed by an attachment. The Jackal tapped the attachment to begin the file download. Once complete, the file opened. It was the picture of a cape buffalo in police uniform, apparently, the police chief of Precinct 1, name… Chief Bogo.

* * *

"Mel. I'm really sorry about this. I hope you're not mad at me." Tom replied to his mate.

Meanwhile, the other three waited patiently in the now broken down car, waiting for the verdict that is the continuation of Tom's marriage. They were able to escape the scene barely, picking up Mel when Tom texted her.

"What do you think?" Rusty asked.

"Hard to tell. I mean, we barely know her or anything." Hammy replied.

"Hey guys, I think they're looking at us." John replied.

Tom and his mate looked at the three in the car as they made an attempt to smile and wave hello. Tom just chuckled at the odd response his team was giving. "They're like family to me, you know."

His wife looked down a bit so saddened however. "When we first met, I always thought there was more to you than you were letting. I got more than what I bargained for today."

"Sorry, Mel. I didn't want to risk our safety. There are some… animals that are out to get me… and them." Looking at his crew. "I hope you can forgive me."

* * *

 _"Even the nights are beeetter, now that we're here togeeether. Even the nights are beeetter, since I fouund youuu_ …"

"Hammy, can you please turn off the radio?" Tom asked, to which Hammy complied.

"I thought you like Hair Supply." Rusty said.

"Not now, Rust. Not now."

Meanwhile, John was on the phone. Art was on the phone once more.

"Hey, I'm glad things are in order there. You really did good, Art."

" _Thanks, Boss. It's been a long day. I really should get some shut-eye._ " Art answered, seemingly calm now.

John heard him yawn over the phone. "Get some rest. You earned it."

" _Night._ "

John put down the phone. It was all four of them, Hammy following a road heading back to Zootopia.

"So…" John began to ask. "Does insurance cover intentionally hitting a wooden column and collapsing floor?"

SNAKE IN BUNNYBURROW

 _Even the days are briiighter, when someone you love's besiiide ya', even the nights are beeetter, since I fouund youuu_ …

* * *

A Glossary for the jargon since I noticed I've been using some:

IFF - Identity Friend or Foe (Transponder)

Klick - A kilometer

No Joy - target not sighted

Spoof - A type of electronic deception

Whiskey - Phonetic alphabet. Code 'whereabouts' in this context

A/N:Shameless advert here. Filipinos interested to buy Official Zootopia merchandise can check out my profile page. I'm selling.


	8. Chapter 8: Meanwhile in Zootopia

A/N: I have to apologize for the delay. A lot of stuff has been happening lately, that it's been a bit difficult to update this. And then my laptop broke down, which was a total bummer, but hopefully, the broken MXM card will arrive soon. And then there's this chapter, which I actually found quite hard to write. This basically serves as a slice of life chapter, which I found actually quite difficult to write because I had to add new mini plots that delayed my main plot. The amount of coordination I had to do between switching scenes was just a lot. I'm hoping that this chapter is up to standards.

I change the somethings a bit at the end of the previous chapter. I thought Tom's conversation with his wife was a little cheesy. Made it look a bit more open-ended.

Oh yeah, if anyone was wondering, the dancing in the moonlight scene is a reference to the same scene from the movie The Four Lions ;).

Summary: Judy and Wolford have a stakeout on reports of a possible bank robbery. Clawhauser tries to hang out with Nick. Art, Buster and Finnick attempt to get the van back.

* * *

The alarm went off on Judy's clock beside the bed. Instictively, she clicked the button above, immediately the alarm to cease its screams. She always made a habit of turning off the alarm as soon as possible. It was sort of an inside game of hers, but it was also so that she would not wake the neighbors. She hastened her morning chores, and before she knew it, was on the front door ready to start the new day. She hopped downstairs until reaching the apartment's main door, where already the landlord, Mrs. Rhonson, was doing some gardening on the front of the apartment. She was watering the bushes at the small landscaping in the rowhouse's front.

"Good morning, Mrs. Rhonson!" Judy greeted.

"Morning, dear! You're off a little early, aren't you?" Rhonson replied.

"You clock me when I head for work?" Judy asked.

"When you're retired, you tend to have a lot of free time." Rhonson explained. "Now be off, Judy. Don't want to keep you from your work." The otter made his final waves before going back to her work.

Judy nodded and went off her way. She could not help but notice the small radio on the window's sill, especially with the big sensitive ears and all.

"… scheduled rerouting of Zootopia's electrical supply may cause temporary power shortages in the peak hours over the next few days. In other news, it's time to get your telescopes ready because the Lionids meteor shower will be at its peak starting today. Weather forecast will also be favorable to view the celestial event." The radio reported.

Judy felt excited. A meteor shower, now that would be fun. Hopefully she'll tell Nick about it.

* * *

"Get up you two!" Said a booming voice.

Art woke up in a daze. His vision was a blur. He had a slight headache…

He tried to stand up but went out of balance and tripped.

… A major headache.

He held his head with his two paws. While bent over, he checked on what he tripped himself on to only to realize that there was the form of another wolf, breathing but clearly asleep. Buster is still out cold apparently.

Finnick just watched them. He could only facepalm at the sight. He eventually came forward to assist the uncoordinated wolf. "Take it easy." The fennec fox stated.

"What happened, Art?" Finnick asked.

"-FFiiinn?" Art ask, finally recognizing the fox before.

"Yeah. Now what happened to you guys?"

Art had to admit it though, his vision was not the only thing blurry. Last night was a blur to him. He could not remember much of what happened the night before, but considering they were in a bar in downtown Zootopia, he was able to piece together possible explanation of what may have happened.

"Buster and I… had some drinks." The wolf answered. "Must've gotten carried away, eh?" He added.

The fennec fox accepted his explanation. Honestly, he was not surprised the way they were acting. But something was not quite right though, and Finnick made to sure to point it. "O-kay… Just one last thing, Art." The fox asked.

The wolf just nodded. "Sure."

"What's with the black eye?"

It took a bit more time for Art to process the question. He looked around his surroundings. Aside from the animals that worked in the establishment, it was just the three of them. There was counter he spotted which had something written on the wall after it. The Stable, it read. Art thought it must be the name of the establishment. His focus drifts to the mirror adjacent to the sign. Finally adjusting his vision, he finally noticed the bruising around his right eye. That must be why he has a serious headache, but how did he-

It came to him just as he was about to think it. It was all coming back to him, the night before, the few drinks, the unexpected visitor, the fight, the van.

Art's eyes widened at the realization. "The van!"

The yell finally caught the other wolf from his nap. "Is it morning?" Buster asked, noticing his fellow wolf leave for the exit. Buster and Finnick follow him outside, seeing a frantic white wolf pulling the hairs on the side of his head.

"The van!" He cried out. "It's gone!"

Chapter 8: Meanwhile in Zootopia…

"No. No. No. No. No. This can't be happening." Art said aloud to the attention of the fox and the wolf with him.

"I'm sure it's not so bad." Buster replied, attempting to sooth his partner.

Suddenly, Art's phone rang. With a paw, he picked the phone out of his pocket. A look of dread was in his face. John Wrangler is on the line. He took a quick gulp before swiping the phone to answer. "Hey Boss!" Art greeted, though his voice sounded frantic. "Enjoying the countryside?"

" _I haven't been gone for a few hours, Art._ " John answered on the other end. " _Yeah, everything's good here so far. You? How're you holding up?_ "

"Oh good! Me and Buster are doing good! The store is good! Finnick is doing his thing." He responded, his dialogue at a faster pace.

" _You okay? You sound… tense?_ "

He could almost feel John raise a brow on him. "Tense? I'm not tense! I'm just excited. Ha ha. Good one, boss!"

" _How's the vehicle?_ "

That was it. The big question. Art's mind raced a million miles trying to come up with excuses or something. He was not as quick to think on his feet. "Good. Nice and red, just like you said."

" _Well it's good I left the bar in capable paws._ "

" _Yeah… capable._ " The voice replied nervously. Hopefully, that was sufficient enough.

" _Gotta go. Gonna have lunch._ " John replied before disconnecting.

Art was panicking, hyperventilating even. It was then that the other wolf, accompanied by the fennec fox approached the white wolf. Finnick climbed himself to Buster's shoulder while Buster grabbed Art by the shirt. Buster then began shaking the other wolf while Finnick, slapped Art left and right repeatedly.

"Snap out of it!" Finnick yelled.

Art's ears drooped at that, a frown appeared on his face. "Okay." He replied rather feebly. Finnick was rather intimidating for an animal with a small figure.

"Okay. The guy that stole the van, what does he look like?"

"Uhm… it was a… uhm…" Art suddenly lowered his voice.

"It was what?"

"It was… fer…furr-a"

"Dude, just spill it!"

"It was a ferret!" Art finally said.

"Two actually." Buster added.

Finnick had a deadpan face staring through the white wolf. "You got beat up by a ferret?"

"Actually, it's we. Me and Bust." Art explained.

"And they were two, not one." Buster added.

"How could you two big wolves lose to a mammal that's smaller than you?" Finnick asked with his booming voice.

"How come mammals smaller than us seem tougher than they look?" Replied Art, although it came out less confident with Finnick staring down at him. He's scarier than the boss, he thought.

"I…" Finnick thought for a moment what he said. Art had a point. "Nevermind. I think I have a hunch who we're dealing with, but there's somewhere we need to go first."

* * *

Nick sat behind his desk, typing some reports for her partner. It was the least he could do considering she would be getting all of the action for a while. Some good news though, his bandages would be removed in a few weeks, according to his doctor. He took a deep breath and sigh.

Clawhauser was behind him… smiling for some reason.

"What is it, Spots?" Nick asked.

"Oh, you know. It's just you and me Nick. This is gonna be so cool. You know, we don't get to hang out often." Clawhauser replied.

"Gee… I don't know, Clawhauser. Not sure we can relate much." Nick answered while he stapled a file of papers.

"Aww… don't be such a spoileroo." He began pushing Nick's chair away from his desk.

"Clawhauser! What are you doing?"

Unfortunately for Nick, the chair was a rolling chair, which was very comfy, but allowed Nick to be pushed around. "Stop!" Clawhauser stopped pushing him momentarily. They were on the hallway now. "You know I can walk back to my desk, right?"

The cheetah's ears drooped. "Oh." Clawhauser gently approached the seated fox until he was just in front of him, near his injured foot.

Nick had a bad feeling about this, but before he could move, Clawhauser forcefully stomped on his injured foot.

The fox made a loud squeal. He could have sworn he heard his bones crack, but he was not sure if it was just in his head. One thing he was sure, the pain is real.

"Uhh… no you can't." Clawhauser immediately went back behind the chair and continued to push him around to where ever.

"Clawhauser, when I get my paws on you…" He said threateningly, but it came out pained.

"Oh, don't be such a baby Nick. You're leg's fine. Just want to spend some quality time with the first fox officer, you know."

Looks like he was gonna be stuck for a while. "I wonder how Carrots is doing."

* * *

Judy's tummy grumbled. She was inside Wolford's undercover vehicle, a red sedan. With Wolford in the front seat and Judy on the passenger. They had been waiting hours watching the Tundra Town bank branch from one of the many vehicles parked on the opposite side of the road. "It's been four hours. You sure your source is good, Wolford?"

"Mmhmm. Part of the game, Hopps. My source is reliable. In a few hours, a crime will take place here and we need to be ready." Wolford replied.

"And how sure are you that your source isn't lying?" Judy asked.

"Because my source is desperate." Wolford replied. "He needed money."

"You gave him money? Does the chief know?"

"Not yet and yes, Bogo knows. Bogo understands the importance of keeping our informants in good financial health. Can't have a broke informant, after all." Wolford offered her a box filled with donuts. "Something to fill your tummy. You really shouldn't have left with an empty stomach." The more senior officer replied.

Judy gave her thanks as she grabbed the donut with her paw. The donut was topped with blueberries. Judy could not help but remind herself of her partner, Nick at the sight of those berries. Wolford caught on when he noticed Judy looking at the blueberry-topped donut. It was common knowledge how Nick loved blueberries, especially the blueberries from his partner's farm.

"I hear Nick's recovering well. I'd say I'd give him a week or two."

"That's too bad. I'm gonna miss our stake outs." Judy joked. "You know, for a wolf, you're quite gentle."

"Don't judge a wolf by his fangs. Wasn't that your motto." He pretended to give an unamusing look.

Judy then thought of something. She tried it before one time back when she was working in the Night Howler case, but curiosity piqued her. Wolford noticed the familiar yet inviting sound, which came from his temporary partner. "Are you trying to howl?"

Judy looked at him, pretending she did not know what he was talking about. "No." She replied, before she made the howling noise again.

"We're undercov- AWOO…!"

The sound of a wolf howling contained itself in the car, while Judy laughed at how Wolford fell victim to howling so easily.

The wolf quickly covered his maw with both his paws. "Judy! Quit it!" Wolford replied. His cheeks reddened a bit from embarrassment.

Judy just laughed. The other wolf started to laugh with her. _Might as well play along_ , he thought. Wolford looked at the watch in his wrist. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

"Ano-nother one." Duke Weaselton slurred as another mug of beer was slid to where he sat. Duke did not hesitate to drink the yellow nectar through his mouth, despite having more than what he can take. He sat all by his lonesome and looked at the time.

"Time to… hit the hay."

Duke was aboard a train bound for Savannah Central. While some way assume the weasel to be nomadic, he does have a resident in Savannah.

Finally arriving to his own home, he opened the door. To many, his home would seem a bit crummy. It was rather unkempt considering he does not stay here too often. It seemed rather old. There was a moldy buggeroni pizza on the floor. There was surprisingly a tv, though it was of the older cathode tube design. It was functioning but there were barely any channels left to watch on. The city was following the national trend to divert the 700 mHz spectrum to wireless broadband eventually. One-by-one, television stations were shutting off there antennae to make way digital lines. There was only one incandescent light that lit the whole room, but flickered occasionally. It was still a larger than Judy's previous home however, not that he's ever seen it.

Considering everything though, it was amazing that he was able to maintain everything with his line of work. He worked hard despite it. The past few weeks were not good to him however. Business was not picking up as of late and it would look like this little accomplishment of keeping the apartment, something he was proud of, would turn to ash.

There was an open can of soda on the table. He walked as straight as he could as he took the soda while attempting to sit down in front of the table. The drink had lost its carbonation after he left it overnight. He drank it anyway. As he did, he looked over a picture that was taped beside a mirror. It was a picture of his father, faded but still recognizable. Duke had been a rebel in his youth, his father, a disciplined military animal. Back when the photo was taken, he was a flight captain. He was not sure what he was now, but what he did know was that he was in a powerful position and there were animals looking out for his welfare. Not that they would throw cash to his front door. His disagreement with his father ultimately made him run away from his parents. Duke wanted to make a point that he could live without their help, but as it would seem, the game of cat and mouse was about to end.

"I hope you're happy." He slurred as he looked sorrowfully with a hint of anger at the faded photo.

Just then, he heard a knock at his front door.

He instinctively stood up at made his best attempts to walk straight to the front door. He slipped as he unknowingly stepped on the moldy pizza. He stood up again with the help of a wall and used it to support him while walking to the door.

Perhaps it was the beer or maybe it was the soda, but the slip was enough to make a rumble in his stomach. He felt something coming out of his throat. He opened the door in time to let out what he had consumed earlier. He looked in front to see a pair of familiar wolves, and a fennec fox before them drenched in his vomit. He noticed the fennec fox clenched his fist, clearly trying to control a raging storm building inside him as he stared daggers at the weasel.

The weasel, a little more sober after the recent release, just smiled nervously.

…

Finnick was calm now as he including the two other wolves faced the weasel.

"Pizza?" The weasel offered. Art looked at the pizza on the box, but he also noticed the pizza paw prints on the floor. "I'll pass?"

"Huh… suit yourself." Duke replied. "What happened to you guys?" The weasel asked, noting the beaten down appearance of the two wolves.

"It's a long story." Art replied. "Did you have a drinking session?"

"Yeah." The weasel replied simply, although he seemed to frown a bit.

"But it's only after lunch." Art replied.

"Yeah. So?"

"So…" Art answered, but he couldn't finish. He let his words die down before Buster decided to speak. So much for a topic starter.

"You have a nice place here." Said Buster, giving a smile.

Duke looked stared at them. He appreciated the compliment but he knew that this house was anything but nice. "Why are you guys here?"

"I'm glad you asked, Duke." It was the fennec fox's turn to speak.

Duke gulped. "Hey Finn. I hope you're not still mad are you? It was totally an accident. We're still buddies?"

"Relax, Duke. I'm cool. We're all cool. In fact, I'm willing to forget this little incident if you do us a favor."

Duke relaxed a bit, but nevertheless was still unsettled. "What kind of favor?"

* * *

Nick had been stuck for about two hours. He left his cane back at his cubicle and was stuck sitting beside the chubby cheetah watching a miniature version of the fox in the Dance with Gazelle app.

"Pretty neat, huh?" The cheetah asked while munching on a bag of chips.

"Isn't this app like a year old?" The red fox asked.

"Are you kidding me? Anything Gazelle never gets old." The cheetah replied excitedly. "Want some?" He asked as he offered the fox from the bag of chips.

"I'm gonna have to decline, Spots. I still need to finish the paper work up stairs." Nick then attempted to leave his seat, cane or no cane.

"Wait!" Clawhauser yelled, getting the attention of the red fox. "Uhm… wanna check out this new app I downloaded?"

The fox looked at the cheetah sternly. "Spots, why am I here?"

"Well, you know, just want to spend some quality time with the precinct's first fox officer." The cheetah looked at him.

"Ben?" He asked once more.

The cheetah's face fell. "Nick, I mean it. You know how you guys get to go out on patrol, do things and stuff? I mean all the excitement. I mean… you guys are lucky, especially you and Judy. You guys seem to have a good working relationship and all. I'm just here in front desk."

"But I thought you like being in the front desk."

"I do." Ben replied. "Just get's a little lonely here. So what do you say? Bogo's not goin' to be taking it hard on ya on the fact that you're still healing, you know."

Nick was almost inclined to agree, but the cheetah's obsession with Gazelle was unbearable. He needed a distraction. Wait… that's it!

"Speaking of the chief, I think he's calling you right now." Nick replied as he pointed a finger on the direction of the cape buffalo's office.

The cheetah followed only to find no cape buffalo in sight.

"There's no one there, Ni…" Clawhauser's ears fell. Nick was gone. He had ran off on him.

…

"I swear, Carrots. He just pushed my chair to his station and made me listen to Gazelle's music for hours. I mean just because I was in the concert doesn't mean I'm crazy to her music and all." Nick replied on his phone. He was finally back in his cubicle, amazed that he was able to pull off that disappearing stunt earlier with an injury.

" _Granted that, but still, Nick, you really shouldn't have left Clawhauser like that._ " Judy's voice came out on the phone.

"I know, it's just we really don't have much in common."

" _You know, Clawhauser also likes blueberries._ " A voice not Judy's replied.

"Wolford, is that you?"

" _Listen, Nick. Take this from me, Clawhauser does this from time to time. You're not the only one who had to accompany Clawhauser for an entire day._ "

"Actually, it was more like two hours."

" _Now that's a little unfair. You should complete the challenge. Finish an entire day._ "

"Not helping, Wolf."

" _Okay. Okay._ " Judy was finally back. " _Nick, I know Clawhauser can be a little… you know… but you two should find common ground or something._ " Judy replied.

" _Yeah. Clawhauser doesn't have a buddy to hang with. Can't blame him on the fact that he's manning the front desk all by himself._ " Wolford added.

"And what about you, Juds? How'd you fare with Clawhauser?"

There was a moment's hesitation before the rabbit spoke up. " _Well… let's just say I tuned out from Gazelle for a while that time._ " She said rather hesitantly.

" _And she's a Gazelle fan, Nick. Just do it and give the cheetah some company._ "

"Wait, was that the time you asked me to share some of my tunes?" Nick smiled. "Wow. I never thought you'd ever get tired of Gazelle, Carrots." Nick chuckled.

" _Only temporary. Just keep him company. Gotta go. Looks like something is about to happen here._ " Judy replied. She immediately hung-up and the conversation was over.

Nick was puzzled. Did Carrots just tell her to put Clawhauser first over these reports? Nick looked over his computer. He was still half-way. Come to think of it, he has not eaten lunch.

"Maybe a snack wouldn't be such a bad idea right now." Nick carefully stood up, assisted by his cane. He slowly made his way to the ground floor. He never quite found the cafeteria food delectable, if the carrot cake was of any indication. Unfortunately, he would have to pass by the front, where the front desk was located. _Clawhauser will see me_ , he thought.

Fortunately, he noted the front desk to be empty of the said cheetah. It was a relief, yet also a puzzle. Where could he have gone? Curiosity got the better of him and he slowly limped his way to his desk. The computer on his desk was on screen-saver, indicating that he'd been gone for more than twenty minutes. Now that he thought of it, he never noticed the computer out of screensaver. He was always more showy of his phone. And the times he and Judy would greet him, the computer faced against them.

The red fox moved the mouse. He wondered if the mice population were ever offended by this contraption. He thought none of it further as the desktop background of the monitor caught immediately his interest. It was a picture of Clawhauser, much younger and significantly less chubby than he is now, with an older female cheetah that appeared to be her mother. Nick comprehended the desktop background in silence. However, a voice from behind him gave it away.

"Clawhauser was always a mama's boy."

The red fox looked over behind him to see Chief Bogo standing.

"He always said this photo reminds him of… happier times."

"Happier times, sir?" The fox asked as he continued to stare in front of the screen.

"Her mother's mentally ill. The disease, as I've heard, is progressive. Clawhauser goes to the nearby pharmacy sometimes during lunch hour for her medication. Though, I've been hearing they don't have stock as of late and the ones at the hospital cost a whole ton more. Pretty much the reason why he doesn't go on patrol duty. Story of his life."

It was only after he left that the fox realized his black tipped ears had fallen. He felt bad… no. Guilty. Nick felt that Bogo almost had a look of remorse… almost.

"Oh well, it's a little late, but I'll be having lunch. See you later, Wilde." The cape buffalo headed out to the front exit, leaving the red fox alone by Clawhauser's desk.

* * *

Finnick drove his van with the two wolves and a weasel as companions. The scene was quiet until Art's phone rang again. A hint of dread returning was returning on his face again. He needed to sound confident though, and so, composed himself before tapping "accept" on the screen.

"Hey boss! Everything's just going great here. Just letting you know." Art answered rather tensely, something the weasel noticed.

" _Hey, Art. Looks like I'm gonna be gone for a little while longer. Unfortunately, something happened._ "

"That's good!" Art exclaimed, getting the attention of others who haven't yet listened in on the conversation.

" _I beg your pardon?_ " John asked.

"I mean… that's terrible!" Art answered.

" _I know. But we'll try to wrap things up soon alright._ "

"Please! Please! Just take your time. No need to rush." The phone conversation ended there.

Weaselton looked at the other wolf. "What was that about?"

The other wolf just shrugged. "Art doesn't cope too well in high stress situations."

"And you?" The weasel asked.

"I'm more like a spare tire."

The back door of the van suddenly opened, revealing the fennec fox just outside. He carried with him a bat and let the upper portion be slapped to his paw while his other paw held it. He hopped inside the back of the van and looked at the weasel. "They're not yet here, Duke."

"They'll be here, Fin. The Ferret brothers have been planning this bank job for months." Duke replied.

"Hold on a sec. Who are the Ferret brothers?" Art asked.

"You ever heard of the news back then about ATMs going empty?" Weaselton asked.

"Wasn't that last year? Just before the Savage incident?" Art asked.

Weaselton nodded. "Yeah. That was them."

"Only this time, it seems they've graduated to other things." Finnick replied.

"Speaking of which…" Buster pointed away from the back doors, pointing to a van, color red, and approaching the bank.

Without so much as a thought, Finnick sprang into action. He would have sprinted to the front seat, had be not been stopped by a paw clutching his arm. "Hold up, Finn. We can't barge in on them."

"What are you talking about, Duke? The van is parking just across the street."

"Yeah, I know." Duke pointed his finger to the front windshield to a red sedan parked on the opposite side of the road. "And so are the coppers." Duke said.

With his keen eyes, Buster saw through the darkened windshield what appeared to be long bunny ears. "Uhh… Art, isn't that the bunny that came to our bar?"

The mention of the bunny made Art follow what Buster was looking at. A look of worry once again returned to his face. "Bust is right. It's Judy Hopps. She's here. Why are the cops here?"

"Because I told them." Everyone looked at the weasel, who made the confession. "Look, I didn't even know this was going to happen. They were going to pay me good money if I led them to the Ferret Brothers. I need the money." Duke explained.

They watch as the vehicle park at the bank's parking space.

"Any ideas?" Finnick asked.

Everyone was silent for a moment, until the white wolf snapped his fingers. "I think I do."

* * *

"I see movement." Wolford responded, noticing a red van being hurriedly parked. Immediately, a pair of ferrets exit the red vehicle. The animals were carrying what appeared to be tranquilizer guns.

"They're armed. I'll call for back-up." Judy replied.

"Heading just before the entrance. See you there." Wolford replied as he made his way to the bank.

"This is officer Hopps. Got a 10-52 in progress at the Tundra Town Bank branch at 2nd Street…"

* * *

" _…Requesting back-up on our location._ "

"Copy that, Hopps. You need SWAT or anything?"

" _No. Suspects are lightly armed. Will keep you posted._ "

" _Fangmeyer here. I'm close to Hopps' position. Will be there in ten._ "

"You hear that, Hopps? Fangmeyer's homing in on your position."

" _10-4 on that, Clawhauser._ "

"Anytime, Judy. Anytime." Clawhauser replied back.

His desk fell silent once more. Clawhauser looked at the clock. It was already four in the afternoon. He sighed. It was just one of those days. He tore a brand new bag of chips and started munching on it.

"Clawhauser"

He looked to see that Nick Wilde was on the counter of his desk.

"Oh hey, Nick? I didn't see you there." Clawhauser replied. "You know your partner's gonna go in for some action. Hope you're not worried or anything."

"Are you kidding me? Carrots can take care of herself. Don't think she needs some fox watching her six all the time, even if I am her partner and all."

"Uhh… isn't that what partners do?" Clawhauser asked.

"I'm saying she can handle herself well, Spots." Nick replied. "Doesn't mean I don't look out for her from time to time." There was a pause before he continued. "After all, ZPD looks out for each other, even the ones we tend to take for granted." He then lifted a brown paper bag to the table.

Clawhauser looked at the bag in confusion. He opened the bag and was surprised to see the prescription meds that her mother needed. "Oh my goodness, Nick! These were out of stock in the pharmacy! How'd you get these?"

"Spots, this is Nick Wilde you're talking to. I know everybody… almost." Nick replied.

Clawhauser smiled at the gesture. "Thank you, Nick." Clawhauser stood up to almost grab the red fox into a tight embrace, but the red fox raised his paw to face it in front of him.

"No hugging." Nick replied.

The cheetah pulled back to sit back down again. "Sorry. I get carried away sometimes."

Nick just smiled at him. "Don't mention it." He then looked at the empty seat beside him. "This seat taken?"

Clawhauser smiled widened. "All yours."

* * *

Judy was able to catch up with Wolford as they covered the front entrance. With her sensitive ears, Judy was able to hear the commotion inside.

"This is robbery! Please remain calm and nobody gets hurt!"

"For ferrets, they sure have loud voices."

"Well, they won't be once they have a date with my tranq gun." Wolford replied. "There's only two of them. We'll take one each together, on my go. Ready?"

"Ready."

The two police officers barge inside the bank building, weapons pointed directly at the perpetrators. "ZPD! Drop your weapons! Put your paws in the air!" Judy yelled.

"It's the cops!" One of the ferrets yelled, the two of them pointing there weapons at the police.

"Don't be stupid, boys. We've got back up coming, so might as well surrender now and save us the trouble." Wolford cautioned

The two ferrets were almost about to drop their weapons… Then the lights flickered and went black.

"What the-" was all Judy was able to say before she heard the sound of tranquilizer darts flying.

The city had momentarily lost power at the worst possible moment, and the thieves immediately took advantage of it.

"Argh-" She heard a sound that she immediately dreaded as she heard the yell of Wolford in the air. She instinctively fired her own weapon hoping to get a shot. She immediately hopped to Wolford's position, who seemed to have taken refuge under one of tables. She noticed his slumped form and a dart at his knee.

"Wolford, you're hit." Judy exclaimed.

"I'm alright, Hopps. It's not as strong as I thought. Their tranqs must be diluted or something." Wolford replied, although weakly.

Judy did not think it was diluted though as he seemed to be fading from consciousness. "Wolf, snap out of it." She said as she slapped his face to keep him awake. It did not take long until the wolf was finally out cold.

She was now in trouble. The fight was now in the robbers' favor as she was outnumbered two to one.

Judy, however, was a fighter. She had taken out a rhino back in the academy once, after all. This should be a cakewalk. She reloaded her weapon with another dart as she hopped her way out to the robbers. Almost immediately, the power went back on and to her surprise, they disappeared. They must have took advantage of the situation to make a run for it.

Hopps immediately made her way out the main doors, only to find herself more confused than ever. To her surprise, she found the two suspects already down on the ground. It only took the sight of a familiar face to realize everything was going to be alright, although he wore a cap and shades to make an attempt to conceal his face.

"Hope I'm not too late." A white wolf wearing casuals replied.

"Fangmeyer!" Judy exclaimed. "You're timing is impeccable. But how did you get here so fast?"

"That's not important. Where's your partner?" Fangmeyer asked.

"He's knocked out inside." Judy explained.

"Well, why don't you take the perps, Hopps? I'm gonna inspect their vehicle." Fangmeyer began walking toward the van before Judy called him again.

"Speaking of partners, where's yours? I thought you were on patrol duty."

The white wolf stopped momentarily. "I'm undercover actually, Hopps." He replied. "And I tend to do the lone wolf approach when I'm undercover." The wolf then made his way to the vehicle. "Taking this to the precinct."

"You know you've… gotten taller." The rabbit yelled out.

The wolf smiled. "I always look taller when I wear a cap." The wolf then got inside the driver's seat of the van.

Judy just watched as the wolf took off with the red van.

* * *

The white wolf drove the vehicle away from the bank to the precinct. When he was out of view, he immediately removed his cap and shades. The drive to the precinct was thankfully uneventful as he arrived at the 1st precinct without trouble. Just in front of the building, another white wolf stood by along with a fennec fox, a gray wolf, and the weasel. Fangmeyer parked the red van in front of the group of people and left the van.

Except this was not Fangmeyer, the cop.

"You know, it's a criminal offense to impersonate a police officer." The other Fangmeyer replied. "I'd give it an 8 over 10."

"Only an 8! I was thinking 9.5."

"8 is mighty generous for you, Art."

"So what happens now, Mark?"

"Unfortunately, I'll have to take the van for processing. You know, evidence. Hopefully, with the robbery resolved, I can have it returned in the evening. Heck, I can drive it myself if you want to."

Art smiled. "Thanks, Mark."

Mark lightly punched him on the side. "Don't mention it, baby bro. Look at you, being a cop and all. You sure, you sure you still don't got what it takes?"

"I'll consider." He chuckled.

Mark looked at the weasel in the group. "Duke, just want to let you know that officer Wolford is alright. I'll inform him about your work so that you can receive payment soon."

"Thanks, officer." The weasel replied.

"All in all, a good day." Mark then walked to the driver side of the van. "And get that eye of yours checked, Art." He said as he drove the vehicle in the precinct, leaving the group finally to themselves.

"I didn't know you were in to ratting animals, Duke." Finnick said.

"Yeah, well, don't tell anyone or nobody'll come to me anymore." Duke started walking away. "I'll see you around. I guess."

It was only the three now.

"It's getting dark." Buster said, seeing the sun getting ready to set.

"Well my van is parked just over there." Finnick stated.

"Well then. Let's go." Art replied.

While they were walking, Buster couldn't help but smile.

"What's so funny?" Art asked.

"We kicked their tails pretty good." Buster replied.

"It was a good thing I was there, this time." Finnick replied. "Honestly, I thought you two goof balls would get a second beating without me."

"Hey, we all helped equally." Art replied. "Thanks, again Finnick."

"Yeah, you helped restore our honor." Buster replied.

"Yeah, well that's what colleagues do."

"That's what friends do." Art replied.

And for the longest time, Finnick did something he has not done for quite some time, and he felt it. He looked a bit away from the two, but he smiled, genuinely. "Yeah… friends."

Art's phone suddenly buzzed once more. Once again, John was on the phone. This time, however, he was not worried. Everything is going to turn out alright.

* * *

Judy was finally headed home. It had been a long day for her. After apprehending the suspects and assisting Wolford, she called it a day. Surprisingly, she did not find her vulpine partner in the building. She went to Clawhauser, but he said he clocked out half an hour ago.

Judy was walking home. It was one of the many perks of living near the precinct now. Well, it was roughly three bus stops away, but still, she a leisurely walk would not hurt.

Somewhere along the way, she pulled out her phone and decided to call Nick. After pressing the call button, Nick was on the line after three rings.

" _Carrots?_ "

"Hey, Nick. I didn't see you in the station. Want to do something after work?"

" _Oh, sorry. I can't. There's just something I gotta do today…_ "

* * *

"…Tomorrow, maybe." Nick answered.

" _Tomorrow, it is._ "

Nick put his phone inside and walked to a part of town that was only familiar to him. The last time he was here was when he was a kid. Apparently, not a lot had changed since he was gone. He walked over to a rowhouse building and knocked on its front door. He waited as he looked around the street. The sun, barely visible now, dimly lit the street as it was ready to set. The street lights were not yet on though it did not bother him, night vision and all. The lights would be on in a few minutes. Either that or there was another power outage.

He heard faint steps coming from the inside. The door opened seconds later, revealing another female red fox.

"Mr. Wilde? What brings you in this late hour?"

Nick cringed at that. He was being addressed by a title that was reserved to his father. "Nothing really. Is she awake, Shirley?" Nick asked.

"She's asleep. Want to see her?" Shirley asked.

"Sure. I'll be quick." Nick let himself in as she closed the door.

"Oh please, take your time with her. She hasn't seen you since you visited after your graduation at the police academy."

"Sorry about the lack of heating, Nicholas. The power's out and we're currently on generators." Shirley explained as they climbed a flight of stairs to the second floor, passing a hallway that lead to a room at the very end. Shirley opened the door and made her way to the bed.

"Mrs. Wilde, you have a visitor."

The red fox on the bed barely stirred. Her breathing did not indicate any sort of reaction. Shirley approached the other fox in the room. "Don't be discouraged, Nicholas. She misses you very much." Shirley looked to the still form of Nick's mother. "I'll wait outside."

Nick watched her leave. He slowly approached the bed and grabbed a seat to sit beside her mother. She looked peaceful, but otherwise, you really could not get much from her face. Nick grabbed her mother's forepaws, gently rubbing them with his other paw.

"You know, I had a dream of dad the yesterday." Nick started, already it seemed he was struggling to continue. "He was watching over me." There was a moment's pause before he continued again. "I'd like to think he watches over you too." A tear escaped his eye. "I wish you didn't worry your little heart out for dad, mom. You don't need him. You have me. I can provide for you, just like how I've always provided for you back when I was still…" Nick did not continue. She never wanted her son to be a shifty low-life con. "Funny thing, I wanna tell you why I came here. Funny story, my friend at the precinct, fat cheetah, his mom is also ill. And it kinda reminded me of… us." He smothered his face on the blanket as he poured his heart out. "I just wish you'd come back to us, mom."

Nick's mother was only one of the few things that got to him. He did not want to talk about it because it brought so much pain. And to go back to the place, would bring him sorrow. And so he cried on that moonless night with a clear sky on the horizon with the occasional meteor shower.

* * *

Judy was in awe at the moonless sky. Zootopia was usually abuzz with lights, but the power outage tonight was an odd sight. It was so rare that she could see the galactic cloud that would normally be invisible on a regular day. And that was just icing on the cake as the she could see several meteors scratching the night sky.

Her phone buzzed. She pulled out her phone to see her parents calling. She was delighted as she pressed the call button.

"Mom! Dad!"

" _Jude the dude._ " His dad called. " _Just want to check on our daughter._ "

" _How was work, sweetie?_ "

"It was fine. There was a bank robbery a while ago, but everything kinda sorted itself out. I'm fine though. Nothing to worry about."

" _That's good, Judy. Nice to see things are working fine over there._ "

"How about you, guys? How was the fair?"

" _It was fine. Although there was a bit of a commotion at the fair grounds. Something about a barn collapse I think, but we're okay. The place was pretty much off-limits so no one got hurt._ "

"Looks like you guys got some fair share of action too."

" _Sure looks like it. Anyway, take care over there. Gotta put the kids to bed._ "

" _Night Judy._ " Her mother replied.

"Night mom. Night dad." She put her phone back inside her pocket.

While she was walking on a pedestrian crossing towards home, something peculiar caught her attention. A pair of headlights was passing her, but to her surprise, the front of the car was actually banged up. The driver of the car was even more peculiar as she was able to get a good look at the face once the car stopped at the intersection.

"Officer Swine?"

The pig looked at the rabbit who called her name. "Officer Hopps?" A look of surprise on his face.

"What happene-"

The pig raised his hoof to cut her short. "Don't ask." The traffic light then turned green, and with that, the driver sped away.

"What a strange day." The bunny muttered to herself.

…

She eventually made it home to which she was greeted by the landlord, who was accompanied by some of her neighbors. "Goodness, you're just in-time."

"In-time for what, Mrs. Rhonson?" Judy asked.

"For the meteor shower. The neighbors and I are going to the park to enjoy it. You can come with us if you want."

"I'd love to, but I'm really beat."

"That's too bad. You can always check it out on the roof if you want to. I believe Mr. Wrangler is up there. Just came back from his trip." Mrs. Rhonson replied.

"Never would think of John Wrangler to be fascinated of meteor showers."

"Oh very much so." Mrs. Beaverly, who was listening on the conversation, replied. "One time, my son asked about neutron stars for a school assignment. Wouldn't cha know, he gave him an entire thesis worth of literature."

Judy had a look of disbelief on her face. She then looked at the roof. "Is that so?"

* * *

John Wrangler took a bite on his beetle sandwich before carefully looking through the peep hole of his telescope. He would rarely take it out, but with the power outage and all, it was too good of an opportunity to pass.

He carefully observed the celestial clouds above, focusing on what appears to be a void.

"You know, you don't need a telescope to look at a meteor shower."

The python looked to see the familiar gray bunny looking at her from his behind. "True, but I've got all night to look at that. I'm looking at the Milky Way, something you can't see with the city lights or a moonlit sky."

Judy approached the serpent. It was true, though. The celestial heavens are barely visible when the lights are shining brightly. "Dinner?" The rabbit asked, looking at the bitten sandwich at his side.

The python looked at his sandwich. "Lunch."

The bunny was now beside her as she took a seat. The python just took another bite.

"Here." John said. "Take a look at this."

Judy stood up and looked through the peep hole of the telescope. "What am I looking at?"

"Sagittarius A. But others call it the galactic center."

"I'm looking at the center of the galaxy?"

"Yep. And you know what's so special about it?" John asked.

"What?" The rabbit asked.

"Our galaxy isn't that big compared to others, and yet, an unknown force keeps everything together, an unknown force that affects all the stars and planets within its influence, a force so large that not even light can escape its grasp. With that, the idea of a black hole residing at the center of our galaxy was born. And so yes, a black hole, a looming shadow, a far away threat, yet somehow, we're all connected."

"That's... quite poetic actually. I can't see much of anything though."

"This isn't exactly a high-powered telescope you're looking through. And you can't see a black hole without an accretion disk. But trust me, it's there."

Judy removed herself from the telescope as she sat down beside him. "You know what. Maybe Nick is right. I truly did misjudge you, and I'm supposed to be the open one."

John just looked at her and gave a courteous smile. "You work too hard, Ms. Hopps. I suggest enjoying the view."

Judy returned the smile. "You really are something, Mr. Wrangler."

The two stayed silent afterwards, enjoying the view as more shooting stars lit the dimly lit night.

SNAKE IN THE BIG CITY

A/N: Just so anyone asks. In my story at least, Nick's mother is suffered a stroke and is bed-ridden for decades. Probably why Nick was forced to work as young as 12. Shirley is the caretaker of Nick's mom. Clawhauser's mother is suffering Huntington's. Probably why he restrained himself from patrol so that he could take care of his mom. I never mention the name of the disease cause they would probably be called something else in Zootopia.


	9. Chapter 9: The Full Account (Part 1)

A/N: I must've gotten carried away with my update schedule :P. But seriously guys, I apologize for not updating sooner. Something important kinda got in the way and as a result, I've been slow to my stories. I can't say yet what this important thing is. Not while I'm not done with it. Anyway, this update is gonna be something different as some have said that the start is rather lacking in detail.

And you're right to point that. That was no accident actually. The reason why the early chapter's details are rather lacking is because back then I was still going back and forth on my main plot. To avoid limiting myself and regretting my decision later, I decided to be rather mysterious about the mystery :). Don't worry, I've thought out the plot now… unless I come out with something better. See, I've been doing something while I was away. Anyway, a lot has changed with what I wanted to do then and what I wanted to do now. So with that, I'm unshrouding a significant part of the mystery by finally revealing the origin story. This will be a two or possibly three-parter. Just a note, this will be very OC-centric, but there are some familiar characters in these updates.

Summary: Margaret realizes some inconsistencies and confronts the team. John tells the story of how everything came to be.

* * *

Chapter 9

The Glades… Thirty five years ago…

"Come on, guys. It's about to happen." A young python yelled in excitement as he slithered over the marshy surroundings. The swamp like attribute of the land they were traversing meant that there were very structures that stood in the area. Most buildings were light housing supported on wooden stilts. The entire place was mostly covered with flora. The soft soil was not ideal for concrete structures. On a technical aspect, high plasticity soil was prone to liquefaction. The tropical atmosphere was hot and humid. The skies were clear and blue. But the heat was not an issue especially if you were gliding through the waters.

A loud rumbling noise could be heard from the distance, followed by a faint sound of a microphone.

"T-minus ten… nine… eight…"

"Guys! I hear the countdown!" The python yelled again.

"Hold up, John." A viper yelled out, who was accompanied by two other serpents, all of them nearly the same age as the python.

John finally emerged from the thick foliage, entering a small clearing clearing above the swampy waters. There was a wide river separating him and the sight they waited to see. The others finally caught up with him, and just in the nick of time.

"three… two… one…"

A monstrous cloud billowed from the distance. It expanded outward and upward. A spacecraft soon emerged from the smoke as it thrusted itself upward.

"Woooaaahhh…" They all said in amazement. It only took mere seconds for their heads to look straight up as that was all it took for the rocket to go to the stratosphere.

"Extraordinary." The viper murmured.

"Cool." The other snake, a cobra, commented.

"I agree." A garden snake replied.

"See guys, told ya it'd be worth it." The python replied.

"Yeah. Our parents are gonna ground us for splitting though."

"Aw come on. Where's your sense of adventur… adventuriri… adventurerer…."

"Adventurism?"

"Yeah! That one!" The python looked back at the spectacle above. "When I grow up, I want to be just like them."

"My mom says most of the animals there used to serve the military." The cobra replied

"The military huh?" John questioned. "Well how hard can it be?"

* * *

Zoo York… Present Day…

The Swamp District is a small district in Zoo York where most reptiles resided. Since reptiles resided more in the south, they were a minority in Zoo York. But not in the district, where in this little corner of 42nd street and 22nd street and in the words of Rusty…

"Sure feels like home."

"Sure does." John replied as they sat down on a corner restaurant. The restaurant had an al fresco area where they were seated with other reptiles of almost every kind. Crocodiles, snakes, lizards, and the occasional turtles.

Contrary to popular knowledge, Zoo York was the most ethnically diverse in terms of the different kinds of species. The reason, however, was more geographical than simple economics. Being a coastal city would attract animals of all kinds as opposed to Zootopia, which is in-land. Zootopia, however, is more distinguishable than Zoo York because of the unique habitats it had constructed meant to suite all mammals of different climates. Reptiles and amphibians were certainly most welcome to reside in the city, but most reptiles and amphibians think that of the bias going on in the city especially after the Bellwether incident. The fact that her sentencing is taking so long meant that something fishy was going on. Aside from mammals and reptiles, there were also amphibians, which resided mostly in a little of the district called Little Amphibia. Most amphibians living there, after all, are natively from the Glades. Most reptiles resided in a part of the district called the Reptilian Corner.

"The background is a little different so you know."

John continued to read over the paper while he was having a small talk with the croc. "It says here the Whalsh Pound is… sinking. No pun intended."

"You know what kind of animals name their country out of a fish?"

"Mammals, Rust."

Animals tended to forget that the biggest mammals on the planet are actually aquatic. In fact, the ratio of aquatic mammals in that country was higher that most of the infrastructure are concentrated along bodies of water, particularly rivers and coastal areas.

"And what about Zootopia? Why name an entire country out a city that doesn't represent the entire Animalian population?"

"You know I've read somewhere that Zootopia is the oldest city in the country, so it must get points there."

"Point taken." Rusty looked the python before him, only to realize that he was not particularly focused on reading his newspaper, eyes darting on the road and sidewalk instead. "Earth to John?"

"I'm sorry what?" The python gave his attention from his distant gaze.

"Looking for something?" Rusty asked.

"No. someone." John pointed his tail to an incoming animal in what appeared to be in a long-neck dinosaur costume, costumed animal slowly approaching the two reptiles. Some animals, reptiles, amphibians and mammals, looked at the costumed animal in bewilderment.

The costumed animal was finally within earshot. "When you said you wanted to go undercover to not get attention, I don't think it's quite working out."

"Rustard the mustard… it's nice to see you too." Replied Margaret Rothschild, the ATSB contact. "Where is Mr. Hamilton?"

On the rare occasion he's met with Mag, it was rare that she would address the pig formally with a title. Her face seemed to confirm it, however. She was not happy.

* * *

Hammy looked at a document Margaret Rothschild placed on the table, the giraffe not shy at showing her disappointment.

"Where did you get this?" The pig asked.

"It was part of the leak."

"I didn't see this in my email."

"That's not important, Hammy. You know what this is?" She asked, but it seemed more of a statement than a question. Hammy obviously knew what this is.

Hammy looked at the document in particular. "It's a map."

"With a radar image overlay. The same map recorded from the military station in Maple Hill, only expanded. Now do you see those three blips?" She pointed her hoof to a square identifier followed by two other identifiers that seemed to keep it's distance from the blip. "That blip is your IFF. Your squawk code." Mag looked over at John by the window. "I reviewed several of the images. John, you were being chased by two fighter jets. This was your last squawk. I have no doubt you were shot. Except, there's a problem." She then pointed to a map that was a clear distance away from the last known squawk. "This is your crash site. Calculating the trajectory of impact and rate of glide at the reported altitude, you wouldn't have reached your present crash site."

John switched his attention from the window to the tall giraffe. It would appear that the giraffe had caught up with them.

"Gentlereps, let's be clear. I want to help you guys. And I did so in good faith. But now it seems that you guys have dragged me into something I don't have half an idea of. However, if that is the case, so be it, but if you want to really make use of my assistance, you need to give me the full account."

The room was quiet after Mag's outburst. The only sound they could hear was Rusty mixing a few more cups. John looked at Hammy who looked right back at him. He let out a sigh, which was a symbolic nod of agreement to the snake. And with that, it was John that finally broke the silence.

"I agree. Ms. Rothschild, I think it's time we tell you everything… the full account."

Chapter 9: The Full Account – Part One

Mrs. Rothschild, do you know the history of Special Missions? Being part of the air force, its existence is one of the youngest of military units, making it also one of the smallest branches. But it is in fact younger than you think and it was not what you think it is today…

Fifteen Years ago… Zoo York University

ZYU is considered to be one of the most prestigious educational institutions in the country. It was prestigious not because it provided quality education, but it was also affordable to the students.

A pig was walking straight into campus premises. While other universities looked more old-fashioned (Victorian in our world), the university is located in a dense population center. Land is scarce, and thus valuable. The building architecture is more brutalist, making them look old and blocky. However, a campus rejuvenation project was well underway with new buildings to be constructed with a modern minimalist look. At least that's what the pig thought as he noticed a scale model at the atrium of the administration building.

"Excuse me." He called out to one of the security personnel, a cheetah, walking along the hallway. "I need to get to the Sciences Building."

* * *

"If we turn to the next page, we can see that there is a photo that best describes Albert Wolfenstein's second postulate. A hypothetical craft traveling at a speed v less than c fires a missile with an initial velocity a. From the reference of an observer on the ground, the craft should travel at speed v with respect to the observer while the missile should travel at speed v + a. The second photo compares with the first such that the craft now travels at speed of light c." The professor, a python sitting behind the desk looks away from the book and toward his class. "I need a raise of paws. Can anyone tell me what speed is the missile traveling?"

There was an initial confusion from the class, a female snow leopard raised her paw. "Sir, wouldn't it be c + a?"

"That would be correct if we assume that we can travel faster than the speed of light c, which we cannot. It was a good try though, Ms. Growley. Anybody else would like to answer?"

Unfortunately, there were no raised paws as far as the eye could see. It was disappointing for him, but he knew that this topic was very difficult to learn.

"Very well, then. This is actually a paradox as from a mathematical standpoint, the statement holds true. But this is not the case and hopefully by the end of this lecture, we would reconcile this difference."

…

The python was now reading his papers on the front desk. Class had been dismissed a few minutes ago. He was alone now… almost.

"You're not in one of my classes." The professor said to the pig who sat in one of the student chairs.

"You're right." The pig stood up, carried his belongings, and made his way closer to the python on the front desk. "Professor John Taggert, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Edward Hamilton. I work for the Zootopian-"

"Air Force." The python finished, his tone coming out rather unamused.

The pig chuckled lightly. "What gave it away?"

"Nice watch." The python answered, motioning his head to look at the pig's wrist. "I have one myself. It is given to airmen that have reached the rank of captain." The python explained.

"You do not wear it proudly then?"

"I keep it in my home, sir. Now, what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Right." The pig let his case on the table and unlocked it. He pulled out files and papers and started sifting through each one of them. "They say that opportunity comes knocking once." He put out a file and showed it to the reptile. "Five years ago, you were honorably discharged."

"That's correct." The python stated plainly.

"And yet a few weeks prior, you were sent a recommendation letter to be transferred to the Green Tails fighter squadron. You had an excellent career in the armed forces. You served in two wars, Operation Green Day and Operation Resurgence in Zoolawi. You flew multiple aircraft types for whatever mission was asked of you. But by the time you left, you had no merits, no awards, no medals except for a purple heart."

The python continued his work, never once looking at the pig before him as he made his explanation. "It's hard to recover your reputation when you've been held captive by the enemy. The amount of politics is just too much. They accused me of revealing secrets to the enemy while I was held prisoner. They never proved it in a military court, but the stigma lingered." He said. "And for the record, I did receive the Air Force Cross for my service in Operation Green Day." The python added, referring to his first combat assignment.

"Well, that's why I'm here, John. I think they made a mistake."

"And what mistake would that be, Mr. Hamilton?"

"The mistake of letting you go based on what you have done so far over what you had to offer."

"Should've come in here sooner then. Would gladly accept your offer with open… tail." He replied with seeming disinterest. "Unfortunately, I have to decline."

"Decline?" The pig was puzzled. "Sir, I am giving you the opportunity to restore your hono-."

"There is no honor in war, only pain and suffering." The python stated. "It was never my intention to join the military for military's sake."

"Right. You're aspiration to be in the Space Administration of Zootopia is commendable. So why not just… continue. It will give you the advantage."

"There are other ways, such as what I am doing now. Teaching, science, and the like. After all, the SAZ is a scientific organization. A scientific organization needs scientists, am I not correct?"

"And one cannot sacrifice enough for his own nation?"

And for the first time in their conversation, the python looked at the pig dead in the eye. His eyes said it all, he was unhappy with what he said. Hammy could hear the faint sound of mechanical gears turning, which was apparently coming from the python. It was then that the pig had seen the python for what he truly was.

No longer hidden from the table, the python was riding on top of a wheelchair. His tail coiled over a lever console. His body was also coiled above the seat, but somewhere between was a disfigured section of his tail. It was crooked as if it was somehow detached and unceremoniously reattached. It then occurred to him that Dr. John Taggert was a cripple.

"Five years of therapy is simply not enough." The python replied with frustration. "You animals are so funny. You have five limbs, tail included, that you can afford to lose. As if I have not lost enough limbs!" He finally let out.

The pig was silent, unable to counter his retort, perhaps out of respect or that he was just caught off-guard.

"That's right, take a good look at your candidate." He moved the tip of his tail, which responded sluggishly to push forward the lever which pushed the wheelchair toward the pig. "They said they could not fully restore it, but at least they were able to bring back the feeling. I didn't fight anymore to save my honor, simply because there was simply no more point. One bullet was all it took."

The snake passed by the motionless pig as he went for the door. "It was nice speaking with you, Mr. Hamilton, but I have another class to get to."

"Please help yourself out the door." The snake added.

…

"Are we sure this is the guy? I mean the file describes him to have sustained injuries, but I wasn't expecting a cripple. And his mind was pretty much made up. And his character does not match the file. He doesn't sound any more of a patriot than he is a smart a-" Hammy argued over his cellphone, which was still one of those feature phones. Smartphones will only take-off in a few more years. He was walking inside one of the many halls of the science building.

" _It's definitely him. That python was always as stubborn as a mule, especially back in Zoolawi._ "

"What is our next course of action, sir?"

" _We need him, Hammy. He must accept. Did you tell him his objective?_ "

"Sir, I'm not allowed to say anything until he accepts. It's protocol, sir."

"Screw protocol. Get him to our side."

He paused briefly before continuing. "Why him though, sir?"

A sigh could be heard on the other end of the line. " _I'm gonna sound really old for saying this. He was character back in the day. He once led a group of jolly greens to attack an enemy town unsupported by ground forces. You just don't do that. It's suicide. But somehow, he was able to perform the heli-rush and do it without losses. He has guts, a true patriot, Hamilton. He isn't just the best candidate, he's the only candidate. The only one qualified. A doctorate is just icing on the cake. Convince him. If there is a reason why he refuses to accept, you must find a solution and find a solution you must. Am I clear?_ "

"Aye sir." The phone conversation finally ended.

He looked at the hallway clock. It was only noon. He took a deep breath. Today was going to be a long day.

* * *

The python was strolling along the halls with his mechanical wheelchair. The python was most notable for it. The animals did not need a visual cue as the sound of the humming motor was sufficient a hint if not a confirmation of his presence. The library was his next destination.

The library, being a university library, was considered the biggest in the city and one of the biggest in the country rivaling the one in Zootopia and other major cities. And just because it is newer than other libraries whose existence have reached at least a century does not mean they have not made their mark in history. A lot of modern scientific research and discoveries have been published in this institution.

Today, John was going to the archives. He buzzed through the librarian's desk. "Afternoon, I just need the references for this." John hands out a piece of paper.

The librarian, a fellow serpent, smiled. "One moment, sir." She answered as she left in search for that piece of literature. John stayed on his wheelchair waiting courteously over the front desk when he noticed the familiar pig from earlier sitting on one of the desks. Only this time, here wore a nurse outfit. The python gave a deep sigh as he approached the pig.

"I didn't take you for a stalker, Mr. Hamilton. Do you really think I won't recognize you with tha-." The python said, stopping just in front of the pig, who was reading a piece of literature.

He raised a hoof on the approached snake, signaling that he did not wish to be disturbed even if it was done in a pretentious way. "Time dilation. I always thought these relativity physics seemed so complicated. Who knew the solution can be so… algebraic?"

The snake narrowed his eyes. "Yes. The equation can be summed to a general square root of the sum of squares formula."

"It's brilliant."

"It is."

"But I have to ask. In your lecture, you said we cannot travel faster than light? How so?"

"The speed of light is actually derived from equations of different fields of physics. Only when we use spatial coordinate transformations that incorporate this time dilation do we get this value which we now know is the cosmic speed limit."

"And suddenly, it's not as easy as I thought."

"Do you ever wonder what c in E=mc^2 stands for?"

"En- _light_ en me."

"c is not in fact referring to the speed of light, but the maximum speed two points in the universe can talk to each other. If c is infinite, then we would see the edge of universe. We would see all the events that unfold within our universe instantaneously. This c describes the speed of causality. It is the speed at which how I can affect the things around me, and for every quantifiable effect is a quantifiable cause. Unfortunately, only massless objects can attain these blistering speeds. Light is massless. Gravity is massless. Which is why they travel at this cosmic speed limit."

"That's… quite the mouthful."

At this point, the python sighed deeply. "Mr. Hamilton, I don't expect you to understand me, but I understand why you're here. But please understand why I cannot accept your offer."

The pig sat in silence. Clearly, there was no point of wooing him even in a topic that would interest him. Besides, this higher physics sounded mostly alien to him anyway.

"You're right professor." The pig seemed to have caught the attention of the snake, who seemed to be content to have finally get his point across, only to be disappointed. "I don't quite understand. Mind explaining it to me again?" He gave an anxious smile.

"Ugh…" The python groaned. "Its derivation came about from unifying the field equations, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Perhaps we should continue this topic at another tim-"

It happened so suddenly. While the reptile rambled on, the pig slowly prepared his dart gun. Once it was ready, he revealed it and aimed the weapon to python's neck and pulled the trigger. He was out before he knew what hit him.

"Sorry professor. Like you said, every cause is quantifiable."

Hamilton hides the dart gun and approaches the wheelchair. He was about to push the wheelchair when the librarian finally returns.

"I have the literature you requested." The librarian replied.

"Uh… yes." Hamilton replied. "I'm afraid he'll read it for later. The professor is tired." He begins pushing the wheelchair outside.

"No, please. I insist." The other serpent replied as she catches up with the two animals. In her mouth was a piece of folded paper that she gestured with her head that the pig take it.

Hamilton looked puzzlingly at the paper. "What is this?"

"The reference he requested." She gave a wink before leaving the two to themselves.

Curious, Hamilton unfolded the paper and rolled his eyes.

* * *

His vision was hazy, but the strange feeling of being carted away in a wheelchair was what he could hear minus the mechanical noise of the motor that usually accompanied it. Where were they taking him?

"Wh-where… where are y-you…" He spoke softly and sluggishly.

Who were they?

"W-whoo…"

"Patient is mumbling. Must be in a state of semi-consciousness." One of the voices called out.

"Pass me the sedative."

And with that, a sharp poke pierced through his back side. Almost immediately, the effects materialize and the python's vision fades into black.

…

John woke up again once more, vision still hazy, but only this time he was in some kind of chamber. He lay on some kind of stretcher and he was strapped the entire way. He heard the low rumbling of the chamber, but other than that, it was uneventful. It was not long before he passed out again.

…

The python jolted up to realize he was on a white hospital bed, although, seeing as the pig from earlier was there, the pig whom he knew was military, maybe this was no hospital. Unfortunately, he found himself strapped in the hospital bed. The serpent squirmed himself in a failed attempt for freedom. The pig was already motioning his hoof to tell the serpent to calm down.

"Where am I?" The python was disoriented.

"Zoo York Mercy." The pig replied.

Okay, so he was still in a hospital. The pig picked up the walkie-talkie attached to his belt. "He's awake, sir."

" _I'll be there, Hamilton._ " Replied the voice.

"W-Who are you?" The python demanded, his voice shaky. "You're not Air Force. Y-you're an agent!"

"Relax, Mr. Taggert. It's just the sedative. Yes, I am Air Force, and yes, you can say I am an agent, but not exactly. Nobody suspects a pig after all."

The python and the pig turn their heads at the sound of the door unlocking. The pig before him saluted as they heard the pitter-patter of paws approaching the bed. A bunch of files and forms flew to land at the foot of the bed. Eventually, a weasel soon emerged from view as he climbed towards where the files had landed. He wore a military officer's uniform. There was a star on the sides of his uniform indicating that he is a brigadier general, but this was not the case the last time he saw him.

"Major?" John replied.

"That's General to you now, Taggert." The weasel replied. He held with him some folders, one of which John recognized as his medical file.

"So I heard." The python relaxed. He had known the weasel from past service. "Though I take it you're not here to catch up."

The weasel looks at the pig and motioned his head to tell him to leave. The pig understood and with that, Hamilton left the room, leaving the weasel and the snake on their own. The weasel sat on a chair beside the bed.

"I have something to show you." The weasel replied. He opened the file and showed a couple of photographs. "This is from an MRI scan we took of you a few hours ago. As you can see, the spinal column isn't particularly well-aligned in this particular section and there's barely a connection of the spinal cord, but there is a connection." The weasel points with his tiny paw. He hesitated to continue for a moment. "I've spoken with the best doctors I can find. They can fix it. You won't need a wheelchair anymore."

"But there's a catch." The python replied.

"You have to accept your assignment."

"And what would that be?"

At this point, the weasel removed another set of papers from another folder. It had a header labeled CONFIDENTIAL EYES ONLY.

"The world is changing, Taggert. New threats are made every day. While we busied ourselves in keeping the peace, others have taken advantage from our long list of entangled commitments. Our contacts from Mammalsk, we are hearing reports that their radar acquisition has been improving, not to mention the fact that they are developing hypersonic rockets. Soon, even our most sophisticated spy planes will be vulnerable to their air defense platforms, if they aren't already. And while they are not yet ready, they will be eventually. And for this, we need to prepare."

"And what do you propose?"

"A new kind of philosophy. Call it the evolution of modern military aviation. The way it was was that we build planes, then somebody will build triple As, then someone will build jets, then radar, then missiles, radar absorbent materials and so on. Taggert, we are witnessing an end to that cycle. If I may ask, how can you defend against a missile that can see the invisible?"

John Taggert thought for a moment in his head. He had once wondered about this particular dilemma. A Moo's Law dilemma as he would compare. You can only double an integrated circuit's processing power by increasing the number of transistors in a given size by only so much, you are bound to hit a wall. The same was happening here. How does one innovate? Where does one branch to?

"You don't." John replied. "Countering a counter only increases the cost, we'd end up with redundant systems. The only way to defeat an 'unoutrunnable' missile is to simply outrun it. The only way to hide from an all-seeing missile is to make sure they never get used to begin with."

The weasel smiled, seemingly satisfied with the response. "My thought's exactly." Gerald shows more documents to the python on his bed. This folder also had a CONFIDENTIAL label, only this time, the folder had a title.

"Special Missions?" The snake read out. He looked at the contents the folder he held. Something about the files seemed out of place. They were mostly containing scientific studies, particularly focusing on the layer composition of the earth, properties of waves in the electro-magnetic spectrum in the upper atmosphere, material science. Eventually, he was able to put two and two together. "Space?"

"Yes. You are seeing the very early stages of an Aerospace Reconnaissance program. Everything is still conceptual, but the Air Force needs an aircraft that can surveil in the lower earth orbit. At that altitude, you become untouchable… undetectable."

"Undetectable? You do realize satellites are detectable in the UHF-band spectrum?"

"And we're the military. We have a list of satellite transponder codes that you can use to… avoid detection. Besides, this isn't about going behind enemy territory. Military satellites often circle the earth."

"And you want to bug them." The python replied.

"You read my mind."

"And you want me to fly this… unbuilt prototype aircraft? You can find so many other animals under your command."

"And I've seen you fly. Maybe not one the best, but you're up there. A natural if I may say so myself. Also, a doctorate degree in physics helps." The weasel encouraged. "Besides, we're not just asking you to fly. We're asking you to lead its development."

The python made no reply, only focusing on the documents made available to him. He was always unreadable like this and that made the weasel a bit nervous. He was, however, focused. Focus is good. It meant that he was taking this seriously. One thing he can always count on was that the snake was a patriot. Sure, he may have lost his way, but if he can get him to turn around, he would go all in. That was the kind of guy he is

"This may come a little too late, but I'm really sorry about what happened. I feel that as a friend, I let you down."

"It wasn't your fault Gerald. There was a consensus."

"You were right though, Captain. We should've reinforced our forward operating bases. Zoolawi is a mess. And unpopular support may mean we may have to pull out soon. We're losing." The weasel stood up and unlatched the straps that had trapped him the entire time. He left the room momentarily to retrieve the python's wheelchair. For a position that requires to be calculating, it was rather odd to see a general do something labor-intensive, especially a mammal his size. "Please consider my offer, John. Opportunity only knocks once."

"I'll think about it." John replied, his eyes not leaving the files and photos.

The weasel had nothing more to say. He left the python alone, the python now switching his gaze from the files given to him and the wheelchair before him.

…

The snake was now on his wheelchair, steering the contraption outside the room and into the hallway. To his surprise, he notices the pig sitting at one of the waiting chairs.

"You're still here?"

The pig stood up and approached him. "I'm off-duty now actually. Could go home, but I wanted to give you this." The pig revealed a piece of paper in his possession.

The python immediately recognized the paper and took it. Slowly unfolding the paper, he noticed what appeared to be a phone number. A smile crept upon his face.

"Her name is Elizabeth. Elizabeth Strong. Ellie for short." The pig answered as he walked away. "One of the perks of working in the military. Food for thought. And you're welcome."

The python looked back at the paper. "Ellie."

* * *

32 W 42TH ST APT 7C

Zoo York, ZY 10040

John finally wheelchaired himself inside his apartment, closing the front door now behind him with great effort. He would lift his head and use it to push the door behind him. He did the same with the lights.

He lived alone, although he had been advised before to get a helper in his home. He refused, partly because of his pride, though there were times he regretted his current way of life. Preparing a meal is always a challenge. He always had to buy ready-made.

He lifted his fork. And although he could hold it, the grip of his tail was not firm. With great concentration, he focused on getting the food on his ready-made meal, but his once steady tail is anything but. He shakily moved his tail for a scoop of grub as he slowly pulled back so that he could put the food in his mouth. He lost his grip as the food and the fork fell to the ground.

All of a sudden, he lost his appetite.

Shifting his attention away from the food, he looked at the piece of paper that was given to him. A thought came to him as he wondered what she could be doing at this time of night.

* * *

14 B University Rd.

Zoo York, ZY 10038

She simply wanted to do nothing more than to get on the sofa. It had been a full day. Arranging books may look a lot simpler than it is, but it really is no easy feat. Sometimes, there simply is not enough to staff the library and this is one of the biggest in the country.

Before she could rest on the sofa, she would perform a few mundane rituals. She went to the kitchen to prepare for a glass of a cold chocolate drink. Chocolate is a funny thing on the account that the drink itself is poisonous to most mammals, and perhaps it was one of the advantages of being a snake. Snakes have very strong stomachs. In the olden times of savagery, a snake's main source of food is rodents, which were known to carry some of the deadliest diseases. It was discovered that rats and mice were responsible for the extinction of the primate species long ago. She read it in the books about evolution and wondered had these species survived, would our world have been different?

She realized her thoughts had drifted. She went back to pouring the chocolate mix on a mug with a caption that says Book Worm on the side. It was kind of fitting considering she was a librarian snake. Going through the hole in the handle of the mug like a needle in the pin, she used her long body to coil sufficiently around the mug while using her lower half to slither to the sofa.

The phone began to ring just as she was about to watch tv. She made a deep sigh as she settled her mug down to a coffee table in front of the sofa. After uncoiling herself, she immediately went to a landline phone on a table behind the sofa. I really need to get that phone nearer, the female snake thought. Not wanting to waste time, she picked up the phone and answered. "Hello?" The woman asked. Upon hearing the first voice, the female reptile relaxed herself. "I was worried you wouldn't call. You looked pretty knocked out."

" _It wasn't that serious. Everything is quite alright now._ "

"Whatever you say, professor. Anyway, I do hope you feel better."

" _I am. Thank you. But enough about me. How about you?_ "

"What about me, Mr. Taggert?"

" _Ms. Strong, I heard that you are new here._ "

"That depends. Are you flirting with me?"

" _If I said yes, are you going to hang up on me?_ "

The female python smiled. She enjoyed verbal sparring, but was enjoying this far more than usual. "Barely on my second month, that's correct."

" _Although I would bet that no one has given you the tour around the campus. It's a tradition, you see._ "

The reptile could not help but giggle. "No, I didn't know there's such traditions."

" _Then allow me to show you around. Also, I really want to get to know you more._ "

"Not so subtle, Professor."

" _Maybe so, but as it stands, Zoo York isn't as diverse as they say. Reptiles are a minority and most of them stay at the Swamp District. When was the last time you saw a snake, let alone a python? Us reps have to stick together._ "

"Point taken. Since you mentioned it, I'm free this Saturday."

" _Perfect._ "

"Don't fall asleep." She put down the phone, ending the conversation.

She was looking at the clock and it was around eight o'clock in the evening. She had an exhausting day, and it had been so for the past week. She usually stayed in her apartment every Saturday, but now she had something to look forward to.

* * *

Saturday has always been traditionally a rest day for the students, although, there are some exceptions such as those taking extra classes. Students spent whatever they like on their free day, some more productive than others.

"… Send them home! Send them home!… " A loud chant roared through a clearing in front of the university's admin building. A large group of students are protesting about the ongoing involvement of Zoolawi, already more than five years in to the conflict.

All this was happening while two pythons stroll by on a wheelchair. The two pythons met at nine in the morning. As promised, the python toured her around the campus, although the other, being in the university for more than a month, had already seen most of the sites and the campus was not really that much big as oppose to other educational institutions in the country. Just like any building in Zoo York, the campus built up instead of horizontal. So nearly half their time is spent in the school canteen, the two telling each other stories. Ellie was happy for the ride though. Quite frankly, she'd never ridden an electric wheelchair. At full speed, the youth rally was soon behind them. They park the wheelchair in a field far from the crowd, which was still visible from their perspective.

"I think this is the only time I've seen so many reptiles go out." Ellie stated, referring to the crowd they had just passed. "But I'm not surprised. Statistics show that the proportion of 'green animals', which includes the amphibian population as well, serving the military is the highest among all animal types. In fact, I believe one of the wars is named out of reference to this certain statistic."

"Operation Green Day." John replied. He just stared on at the crowd of students rallying.

Ellie looked at the other in concern. She touched the other's tail with her's and began to stroke it. "Does it hurt?"

"No… it's just a little numb. Barely responsive. Yet somehow, I get by." He smiled a bit at the end.

"That's good."

The school bell rung. It was three o'clock in the afternoon. "Will you look at the time? I need to be off somewhere else."

"Where to? I can drop you off?"

"You can drop me off at the University Road metro station."

And so he did. They road to the station, which was just at the border of the campus grounds. It was not a long stroll, again considering the size of the campus.

"This is my stop." Ellie disembarked on the wheelchair. "John, it was really nice to meet you. I had a great time."

"Likewise." John replied. He watched Ellie slither into the metro entrance until she was out of view.

"She's a nice find, sir."

John recognized that voice realizing the pig from yesterday was behind his wheelchair. "Mr. Hamilton, you're not gonna dart me again, are you?"

"Not in public." He smiled. "I'm just curious."

The python raised a brow. "About?"

"You are a professor. That means you have a doctorate degree."

"True."

"How? Let alone get a bachelor's degree. How were you able to do it and still serve your country?"

"The military had a tertiary education program for animals that finished a secondary education. I was basically studying while on deployment. It took a while, but I did get a degree. You can say I graduated in a military base overseas. After my injuries, I thought I could still do it if I studied a little more. I already had my degree, so it was the next logical step. And here we are."

"That… I must say. That is incredible. I'm almost sorry for darting you."

John grinned slightly facing the pig behind his wheelchair. "Two billion."

"I'm sorry, what?"

The python pushed the lever to turn the wheelchair around to face him. "Two billion. We need at least two billion dollars to fund the project. One billion for the development cost, 500 million for at least two prototypes and another 500 million for the logistics and maintenance."

"I take it that's a yes." The pig replied.

"I'm a patriot, Mr. Hamilton. Didn't he tell you that?" He grinned slightly. "Tell that weasel I accept his offer."

…

Three weeks later…

He opened his eyes once more. White ceilings and a heartbeat monitor at the side. The old familiar, it seems John cannot escape the grip of hospital beds.

"I sure hope there's still something left in my health insurance." He mumbled.

"It's nice to see you're up."

John looks to the foot of the bed to see the weasel, still in military uniform, standing there. "How long have you been there?"

"A while. I've spoken to the doctors."

"I'm all ears."

The weasel made a genuine smile. "It's a success. They were able to realign the spinal column."

John looked at his tail. He tried to wiggle it. He was not used to the sensation. For the first time in a really long time, the hint of sluggishness was gone. He could finally move his tail freely. The feeling was foreign. Somehow, he continued moving his tail in any direction as if he still was not believing this was happening.

"I don't know if I'll ever get used to this." The python replied. He looked at the weasel appreciatively, grabbing him with his tail and coiling him up in a tight embrace. "Thank you."

"That's… w-what f-friends do…" The weasel struggled.

…

Hammy waited outside the corridor of the hospital when Gerald and John emerged from the room. The weasel and snake approached him, although the snake was still using his wheelchair. The pig gave his usual salute.

"Give it a rest, Hammy." The snake answered.

"Hammy? Now there's a first." The pig replied.

"He's allowed to." Gerald replied. "He's one of us now."

"Speaking of which, I will need a list of candidates." The snake replied as the two pass the pig. "I will need that in three days. Gerald and I have some catching up to do."

SNAKE IN THE OTHER BIG CITY

* * *

A/N: Updated! Hopefully, I can update much sooner. And not to worry, the whole origin thing will come full circle.


End file.
